Gross Pathology Flashcards
What is an atheroma composed of?
Degenerative material: macrophages + lipids which can calcify
“Atheromas may be covered by ____?”
a fibrous plaque which can cause thrombosis if ruptured
What is a way in which atheromas can form? What layer is does this originate?
Atherosclerosis, intimal layer of arteriole wall
What are the risk factor of an atheroma?
Smoking, Hypertension, Diabetes
What pathological disease is characterized by degenerative material clustered in the aorta?
Aortic Atheroma
How does a myocardial infarction occur?
Occluded coronary arteries
What pathological disease is characterized by dead myocardial scar tissue?
Myocardial infarct
Why are areas of a myocardial infarct white?
Replacement of myocardium with fibrotic scar tissue
Up to how long can the scarring in myocardial infarcts occur afterward?
6 weeks
What are the complications of Myocardial infarction? why?
Scar tissue is non-functional, and complications include heart failure, thrombos formation,arrythmias + weakening of ventricular wall causing aneurysms
What pathological disease is characterized by the ballooning of the aorta
Abdominal aortic aneurysm
Why do aortic aneurysms occur?
Weakness of the aorta wall, due to hypertension and atherosclerosis
What are some complications of Abdominal aortic aneurysms?
Luminal thrombus formation, rupturing of aneurysms (which can be fatal)
What pathological disease is characterized by hypertrophy of the left ventricular walls?
Left Ventricular Hypertrophy
Why does left ventricular hypertrophy occur
Chronic hypertension, valvular dysfunction. Both of these increase the resistance into the left ventricle requireing more work to be done to force blood out into the aorta
What does left sided heart failure lead to?
Pulmonary oedema
What are the pale areas in Lobar Pneumonia caused by?
inflammatory material + pus within the alveolar spaces in response to infection
What are the symptoms of Lobar Pneumonia?
Fever, cough, shortness of breath, sharp pain on inspiration due to irritation of the parietal pleura
What are some complications of Lobar Pneumonia?
Abscess formation, Empyema, Exudate organisation, sepsis, spreading of infection to other body parts
What pathological disease is characterised by pale areas of consolidation in the lungs?
Lobar Pneumonia
What pathological disease is characterised by the blocking of the pulmonary artery?
Pulmonary embolism
How does thrombo-embolus occur?
Blood clot breaks off and travels downstream to lodge somewhere else in the body
Pulmonary emboli usually results from a ______ in the lower limb where a _____ forms due to stasis or hypercoagulability of blood
Deep vein thrombosis, thrombus
What are the symptoms of pulmonary embolism?
Coughing up blood, chest pain, shortness of breath
