Pathology Of The Reproductive Tract Flashcards
What type of epithelium in labia minors and majora?
Stratified squamous
What does oestrogen do?
Stimulates maturation of squamous epithelial cells
Where is glycogen formed?
Squamous epithelial cells
Which vaginal anaerobic organisms are present?
Lactobacillus
What do lactobacillus do?
Produce lactic acid keeping vaginal pH below 4.5, glycogen formed by squamous epithelial cells is a substrate
White areas in picture are?
Where glycogen is being processed
Where are the blood vessels?
Within the stroma, none past bm in epithelium
Endocervix cells?
Single layer of tall mucin producing columnar cells, oval nuclei, with clefts protruding into stroma
How does cervix change in puberty?
Lips of cervix grow,
Distal end of endocervix opens , endocervical mucosa becomes exposed to acidic vaginal environment and then undergoes metaplasia
Disease, cancer starts where?
Transformation zone
What happens at distal endocervical columnar epithelium?
Squamous metaplasia by progenitor cells (reserve cells)
Metaplasia?
Transformation of cell type from one kind of mature differentiated cells type to another kind of mature differentiated cell type
Pathological metaplasia?
Barrett’s oesophagus
Metaplasia stages?
Begins thin and delicate (proliferation and incomplete maturation)
Then stronger and well formed such as ectocervix
What is myometrium made of?
Bundles of smooth muscle, vasculature and nerves
During menstrual cycle what changes?
Endometrium
Endometrium has how many layers in Proliferation phase
- Tubular glands (mitosis)
- specialised stroma
- blood vessels
This is what breaks down
Endometrial secretory phase?
Cork screw glands (secretion)
Specialised stroma
Blood vessels
Nomenclature of neoplasms?
Behaviour: benign or malignant
Histogenesis: according to tissues from which neoplasms arise and what they consist
Benign neoplasms?
- Remains localised and doesn’t invade surrounding tissues
- Generally grow slowly
- Good resemblance of parent tissue
Leiomyoma?
Benign neoplasms of smooth muscle of myometrium
Consequences of benign neoplasms?
- Pressure on adjacent tissue
- Obstruction of lumen of a hollow organ
- Hormone production (erythropoetin produce polycythameia)
- Transformation into a malignant neoplasm
- Symptoms for the patient
Pressure on adjacent tissue?
On bladder so increase in frequency, rectosigmoid causing constipation
Obstruction to lumen of hollow organ?
Ureters and blocking endocervix
Symptoms of benign neoplasms?
Abnormal uterine bleeding, pain
Malignant?
- Invade into surrounding tissues
- Spread via lymphatics to lymph nodes (regional) and blood vessels to other sites (metastasis)
- May grow relatively quickly
- Variable resemblance to parent tissue
How does malignant neoplastic tissue look?
- loss of differentiation
- loss of cellular cohesion (separated off)
- enlarged irregular dark nuclei
- increased numbers of mitoses
Consequences of malignant neoplasms?
- Destruction of adjacent tissue
- Metastasis
- Blood loss from ulcerated surfaces
- Obstruction of a hollow viscera
- Production of hormones
- Weight loss and debility
Carcinoma?
Malignant epithelial tumour
Carcinomas of glandular epithelium?
Adenomacarcinoma
Malignant stromal tumours?
Sarcomas
What do skenes glands do?
Located on either side of urethra and help with urination and cleanliness
Junction between ectocervix and endocervix is called?
Squamo-columnar junction
