Histological features of nerve fibers and endoneural vessels in a case of Wegener's granulomatosis.

A sural nerve biopsy obtained from a patient with Wegener's granulomatosis and overt clinical signs of polyneuropathy showed degenerative changes of both myelinated and unmyelinated fibers. The pathological aspects were those of an axonopathy. Endoneural vessels were also involved, showing changes either in the endothelial cells, which were thickened and enriched with organelles, or in the basal membrane, which was reduplicated and thicker than in the controls. There were no cellular infiltrates nor was there clear evidence of fibrosis in the vascular wall. We suggest that peripheral neuropathy in Wegener's granulomatosis could be secondary to endoneural vessel changes on the basis of a possible immune complex action.