Pathology of Respiratory System Flashcards
What is the epithelia of the respiratory system?
ciliated epithelium; more prone to being damage than other epithelium due to its specific structs
What shape are Type I pneumocytes?
Flat & thin for gas exchange
What shape are Type II pneumocytes?
cuboidal -> source of new Type I pneumocytes; lost Type I pneumocytes will be replaced by Type II
What is a pluck?
Tongue, larynx, esophagus, trachea, heart, & lungs
What kind of artifacts are seen in the lungs?
- many & common
- colour change is often misleading
- palpation is crucial (lungs more firm that usual)
Why does respiratory disease increase in food animals around Nov?
colder, animals brought inside, transported, mixed w/ other animals
Why may a lung be dark in colour?
Potentially due to congestion; potentially animal was laying on its side & blood pooled post death
Why might there be white lines on the stomach?
could be rib impressions or expansion of stomach from gas
What happens when you euthanize with intracardiac euthanol?
It will precipitate out & sit on the lungs; this is artifact of euth w/ no sig outside of this; this dissolves away if put in solution
Thickened dorso-caudal pleura on lungs means?
this is probably normal genetic variation (seen in cattle)
Two lungs of diff size, one dark in colour, one pale pinkish
Probably just congestion in darker one; pale pink one should be light while dark, fluid filled one should be heavy (“wet”)
What is hyperemia in the cranio-ventral portion of the lung?
SIGNIFICANT
What are the 4 causes of edema?
- Increased hydrostatic pressure
- Reduced oncotic pressure
- Endothelial damage
- Lymphatic obstruction
Signs of pulmonary edema?
Foam filled trachea (a little bit near where the bronchi come off is normal) or widened interlobular septa
Signs of hemorrhage in lung?
Hard to see because they are just areas of redness; need to feel them (areas of hemorrhage will feel firmer)
How common are pulmonary embolisms?
Lungs are a common place to see embolisms b/c a clot travelling down venous side will go through progressively larger areas until it hits the lungs where it gets small; not seen that frequently in veterinary spp
Significance of pulmonary/pleural ossification
seen particularly in older animals and particularly in dogs. No clinical significance. Just bone fragments on surface of lung.
What is anthracosis?
Black discoloration of bronchial mucosa that can occlude the bronchial lumen (it is just dust contained w/in macrophages
Big black spots on lungs?
big black spots could be melanosis, melanoma, or v dark hemorrhage. should palpate them to make sure it’s not just a colour change. Melanoma would feel like a mass; unlikely to be inhaled pollution or carbon (pattern would be more diffuse)
What is atelectasis?
When air exits alveoli & they collapse, lung goes from pale pink poofy to darker deeper red (colour is more concentrated from collapse (darker); probably a little firmer)
- ex: when lung is blocked w/ mucus
- atelectasis can be pathological (relating to disease) or not
What do goblet cells do in the lungs & what problems can it lead to?
Goblet cells make mucus and a large amount of mucus can build up and block airways
What is emphysema?
alveolar septa no longer exist so have larger bubbles w/in lung , so less SA for gas exchange
What are the two types of emphysema?
- Alveolar -> areas of the alveoli are expanded w/ air
- Bullous -> larger areas of lung are expanded w/ air
How does smoke lead to emphysema?
Smoke induced frustrated phagocytosis -> release of elastase -> elastase destroys elastin -> leading to smoke induced pulmonary emphysema
Significance of combination of atelectasis & alveolar emphysema?
Atelectasis will be that darker part of the lung & the bright red stuff is emphysema; seen commonly in euth’d animals (not significant, feels like snap, crackle, pop)
- he thinks animals hyperinflate their lungs when they take a big agonal gasp upon euth
