Figure 2.

Microscopical images of medial calcifications. Small calcifications (arrow) alongside the internal elastic membrane (asterisk) characteristic of Mönckeberg medial sclerosis stage 1 are shown (femoral artery, fluorescence microscopy, 400×) (A). Larger amounts of medial calcifications (arrow) in vicinity of vascular smooth muscle cells (asterisk) in Mönckeberg medial sclerosis stage 1 lesion are demonstrated (femoral artery, haematoxylin–eosin stain, 200×) (B). Calcifications becoming confluent and forming solid plates (arrows) and subendothelial hyperplasia (asterisks) in the intima are seen; the findings correspond to Mönckeberg medial sclerosis stage 2 (femoral artery, haematoxylin–eosin stain, 40×) (C). Mönckeberg medial sclerosis stage 3 is characterized by calcifications distorting the media spanning the entire circumference (arrows) (tibial anterior artery, haematoxylin–eosin stain, 40×) (D).