Pancreas and Gallbladder Pathology Flashcards
What is this?
Exocrine component of pancreas
Acini + canaliculi
What is this?
Endocrine component of pancreas
Islets of Langerhans
What is acute pancreatitis?
Acute inflammation of pancreas caused by aberrant release of pancreatic enzymes
What are 6 general categories of causes of acute pancreatitis?
Duct obstruction
Metabolic/ toxic
Poor blood supply
Infection/ Inflammation
Autoimmune
Idiopathic (15%)
What are 3 examples of duct obstruction which may lead to acute pancreatitis?
GALLSTONES (50% of all causes)
Trauma
Tumours
What are 4 examples of metabolic/toxic which may cause acute pancreatitis?
Alcohol (33%) - 5% of alcoholics develop acute pancreatitis
Drugs (e.g. thiazides)
Hypercalcaemia
Hyperlipidaemia
What are 2 examples of poor blood supply which may cause acute pancreatitis?
Shock
Hypothermia
What is an example of infection/ inflammation that may cause acute pancreatitis?
Viruses (e.g. mumps)
Describe the broad pathogenesis of acute and chronic pancreatitis
Duct obstruction
Direct acinar injury
How can duct obstruction lead to acute pancreatitis?
Gallstone stuck distal to where the common bile duct + pancreatic ducts join leads to: reflux of bile up the pancreatic duct followed by damage to acini + release of proenzymes which then become activated.
Alcohol leads to spasm/ oedema of Sphincter of Oddi + formation of a protein rich pancreatic fluid which obstructs pancreatic ducts.
What are patterns of injury for acute pancreatitis?
Periductal: Necrosis of acinar cells near ducts (usually secondary to obstruction).
Perilobular: Necrosis at the edges of the lobules (usually due to poor blood supply).
Panlobular: Develops from periductal + perilobular.
What is the pathophysiology of acute pancreatitis?
- Activated enzymes
- Acinar necrosis
- Further Enzyme release etc.
Ranges from stromal oedema, to haemorrhagic necrosis.
Give an example of an enzyme released in acute pancreatitis and describe how it causes damage
Lipases lead to fat necrosis:
Lipases hydrolyse TGs to fatty acids
Ca ions bind to free fatty acids forming soaps which precipitate as yellow-white foci
What are 2 pancreatitic complications of acute pancreatitis?
Pseudocyst: not lined by epithelium.
Abscess: stasis of necrotic material- infected
What are 3 systemic complications of acute pancreatitis?
Shock
Hypoglycaemia: insulin released by damaged organ + part due to shock
Hypocalcaemia: Ca + FFA precipitate forming fat necrosis
How could calcium levels fluctuate in acute pancreatitis?
If Hypercalcaemia is cause
could become normocalcaemic as Ca precipitates out with FFAs as fat necrosis
What is the prognosis of acute pancreatitis?
Overall mortality up to 50% for haemorrhagic pancreatitis
What is this? Describe the feature seen
Acute pancreatitis
Fat necrosis: yellow/ white nodules
What is this? Describe the feature seen
Acute pancreatitis
Blue areas: fat necrosis
What is chronic pancreatitis?
Relapsing or persistent, a/w acute pancreatitis in half of cases.
Relatively uncommon.
Mortality 3% per year.
What are causes of chronic pancreatitis?
Metabolic/toxic:
* ALCOHOL (80%)
* Haemochromatosis
Duct obstruction:
* Gallstones
* Abnormal pancreatic duct anatomy
* CF (“mucoviscoidosis”)
Tumours
Idiopathic: Autoimmune
Which immune cells dominate in acute and chronic pancreatitis?
Acute: Neutrophils
Chronic: Lymphocytes
What is the pattern of injury of chronic pancreatitis?
Chronic inflammation with parenchymal fibrosis + loss of parenchyma.
Duct strictures with calcified stones with secondary dilatations.
How is the endocrine function affected in chronic pancreatitis?
Islets relatively preserved + doesn’t matter ducts are obstructed
Ultimately islets squeezed out by fibrosis, leads to DM
Why is haemochromatosis also known as bronzed diabetes?
Bronze: pigmentation in skin
Diabetes: chronic pancreatitis from iron deposits initially affecting acini, going on to affect islets
What are 4 complications associated with chronic pancreatitis?
Malabsorption
Diabetes mellitus
Pseudocyts
Carcinoma of the pancreas