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Stereologic study of myocardium of Wistar rats after longterm living (during 10 months) at high altitude (at 3200 m above sea level) was carried out. It was shown that tissue reorganization of left ventricle myocardium under these conditions was characterized by significant decrease of the volume and surface densities of capillaries and endothelial cells, especially after living during 5 months in mountains. Simultaneously the processes of intracellular regeneration in cardiomyocytes were disordered, this manifesting as a rarity and lysis of sarcoplasm and also as atrophy of a part of cardiomyocytes. These changes were more pronounced after living during 10 months at high altitude.

Hemodynamics, coronary circulation, electric activity and morphologic changes of the heart were investigated in 150 rabbits after their extended adaptation to high altitude hypoxia and during readaptation. It was found that changes in the contractile function of the hypertrophied heart, which developed as a result of moderate hypertrophy and isotonic hyperfunction of the left ventricle and marked hypertrophy and isometric hyperfunction of the right ventricle during prolonged adaptation to hypoxia, recovered within 15-30 days after hypoxia exposure was discontinued.