L39 Vascular Disease Flashcards
What makes up the intima of blood vessels?
- Endothelium (simple squamous epithelial cells)
2. Small subendothelial component
What makes up the media of blood vessels?
Smooth muscle; surrounded by internal elastic lamina and external elastic lamina on either side
What makes up the adventitia of blood vessels?
Connective tissue, collagen, vasovasorum
How can we distinguish the aorta from other high caliber blood vessels with a lot of smooth muscle in the media?
The aorta has a lot of elastic tissue, which stains black
Describe the intimal response to vascular injury.
When a vessel is injured:
- Recruitment of smooth muscles cells (and their precursors) to the intima from the media
- Smooth muscle cell mitosis (proliferation)
- Elaboration of ECM (intima thickens and expands)
What is arteriosclerosis, broadly?
Hardening of the arteries (arterial wall thickening and loss of elasticity)
What are the four major types of arteriosclerosis?
- Atherosclerosis
- Monckeberg’s medial calcific sclerosis
- Fibromuscular intimal hyperplasia
- Arteriolosclerosis
What kind of blood vessels are affected by atherosclerosis?
- Large elastic arteries (aorta, carotid, iliac)
2. Muscular arteries (coronary, popliteal, renal, mesenteric)
Describe the “response to injury” hypothesis of atherosclerosis.
Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory response of the arterial wall to endothelial injury. The lesion progression involves interaction of lipoproteins, monocyte-derived macrophages, T-cells, and the cellular constituents of the arterial wall.
What is an atheroma?
The basic pathological entity that drives atherosclerosis; it is composed of a necrotic center filled with cell debris, cholesterol crystals, foam cells and calcium, as well as a fibrous cap filled with smooth muscle cells, macrophages, foam cells, lymphocytes, collagen, elastin, proteoglycans, and neovascularization.
True or false - atherosclerosis tends to affect the thoracic aorta more than the abdominal aorta.
False - it affects the abdominal aorta more than the thoracic aorta.
What are some possible outcomes of complicated plaques?
- Rupture/ulceration/erosion
- Emboli
- Hemorrhage
- Weakening of the media and aneurysm formation
- Calcification, growth, and lumen occlusion
- Thrombosis
Why is rupture a bad thing?
Rupture leads to exposure of the sub-endothelium to platelets and ultimately to thrombus formation
What are the spindle-like structures seen in histological slides of plaques?
Cholesterol clefts
Why can hemorrhage occur in plaques?
Because the atheroma gets neovascularized with new blood vessels
What is an aneurysm?
An outpouching of the blood vessel
What leads to an aneurysm?
Invasion of the atheroma into the media, loss of smooth muscle cells/strength
What are the important complications that stem from atherosclerosis?
- Myocardial ischemia (angina, infarction, sudden death)
- Cerebral ischemia (stroke, transient ischemic attack)
- Peripheral vascular disease (claudication, gangrene)
- Aneurysms (rupture)
What is Monckeberg’s medial calcific sclerosis?
Non-obstructive calcific deposits found in medium sized muscular arteries; centered on internal elastic lamina and media; appear chunky and purple on H&E stain
What is fibromuscular intimal hyperplasia?
Form of arteriosclerosis that affects muscular arteries larger than arterioles; involves a marked intimal thickening caused by smooth muscle cell proliferation and increased ECM