Gomori Trichrome Stain of Artery and Elastic Stain of Artery

Special stain highlight connective and elastic tissue elements in a blood vessel wall.

The anatomy of blood vessels is highlighted by the use of the elastic and trichrome stains. Arteries, the vessels that deliver oxygenated blood from the heart to organs and tissues, contain the protein elastin within their walls, allowing them to stretch in response to the pressure wave generated by each heartbeat. The elastic stain colors elastin fibers in the artery wall black. Reductions or disruptions in the elastic layer of arteries leave patients at risk for internal hemorrhages due to aortic dissections or aneurysms, as in Marfan disease.

The Gömöri Trichrome stain is a mixture of dyes that, in combination, vividly differentiates tissue types from one another. The blue-green color of connective tissue contrasts with the reddish-purple of muscle tissue and allows the pathologist to evaluate the relative proportions of tissue types within the vessel wall.