Postmortem study of a case of Werner's syndrome.

The postmortem study of a classic case of Werner's syndrome is presented. The subject was a Japanese man who died at the age of 39. Major findings included general microsplanchnia, extreme atrophy of the testes and skin, calcified aortic atherosclerosis, an increase of basophils in the pituitary, aspiration pneumonia, chronic pyelonephritis and a meningioma in the occipital area of the brain. Histologically, no osteoporosis was evident in the lumbar spine and iliac bone. The findings suggest that in Werner's syndrome the dominant pathologic factor may be found in connective tissue other than bone.