Terminology Flashcards
Pathology
the study of disease; connection between normal anatomy and clinical medicine
etiology
the cause (can be intrinsic or extrinsic)
Intrinsic Etiologies
can be primary (genetic) or secondary (due to age, gender, coat color, breed, etc)
Extrinsic Etiologies
can be due to inanimate forces (like weather, radiation, trauma) or animate/living agents (bacteria, viruses, parasites, etc)
Pathogenesis
how a disease develops
Pathogenesis Flow
etiology –> sequence of events –> lesion
Lesion
structural (morphologic) alterations in cells or tissues; visual representation of tissue injury and response
Pathognomonic Lesion
a lesion, when taken in context with the clinical picture, that is diagnostic for a particular process (very rare; ex: Johne’s disease)
Molecular and Non-structural Abnormalities not diagnosable with a lesion
neoplasias, bacterial infections, neuromuscular junction diseases, toxins, arrythmias
Is every lesion significant?
no
Statistically Significant
probability that study results are due to chance
Biological Significance
magnitude of actual treatment effect (difference between intervention and control groups)
Incidental Findings
things that could be noted on pathology that is NOT what is causing the clinical problem; commonly found in older animals
3 Lesions that could be secondary to Euthanasia
- Barbituate Salts
- Splenomegaly (barbituate euthanasia or anesthesia)
- Cranial hemorrhage (captive bolt)
Barbituate Salts
all the little white dots; most commonly seen with IC sticks
Rigor mortis
post-mortem rigidity
Algor mortis
post-mortem cooling
Liver mortis
post-mortem blood pooling
Bile imbibtion
postmortem change, green stuff around the bile duct
Hemoglobin imbibition
hemoglobin red staining; frequently seen in frozen animals because the RBCs lyse
Pseudomelanosis
postmortem change that appears black but its not really melanin (ex, could be from cooked hemoglobin)
Melanosis
postmortem black appearance due to melanin being thrown places where it shouldn’t be
Postmortem Gas Distension Changes
-emphysema (bubbles in the lung lobes)
-prolapses
-gastric ruptures
Three Questions to help determine whether a lesion is Antemortem or Postmortem
- Is there a tissue reaction? Inflammation, fibrosis, edema, hemorrhage?
- Does it make sense in context of the case?
- What is the postmortem interval?
Macroscopic Lesions
gross pathology
Microscopic Lesions
histopathology
Ultrastructure Lesions
these require electron microscopy
How do lesions lead to disease?
morphological changes –> functional changes –> disease manifestation (clinical signs and symptoms)
Clinical Signs
manifestation of a disease that the physician perceives; OBJECTIVE
Examples of Clinical Signs
heart rate, resp rate, temp, blood pressure, heart rate, rash, diarrhea, vomiting
Symptoms
manifestation of disease apparent to patient/owner; SUBJECTIVE, vague/non-specific
Examples of Symptoms
back pain, fatigue, headache, nausea, anxiety
Diagnosis
interpretation of the nature of disease taking into context the lesions and clinical signs
Anatomy of the Morphologic Diagnosis
Severity
Marked/Severe, Moderate, Mild
Duration
Peracute, Acute, Subacute, Chronic
Distribution
Focal, Multifocal, Multifocal to Coalescing, Diffuse, Perivascular, Perifollicular
Lesion (in context of morphological diagnosis)
edema, hemorrhage, congestion, necrosis, inflammation (-itis), atrophy, hyperplasia, dysplasia, fibrosis, neoplasia
Additional Features
they’re the WITH so not really what’s causing your disease but a consequence of it
Etiologic Diagnosis
less descriptive and focused on the cause/etiology of a lesion in the affected organ/tissue (examples include parvoviral enteritis, coronaviral vasculitis)
Disease/Condition
no descriptive component (examples include FIP, hardware disease, toxicosis, etc)
Prognosis
estimate of future outcome
excellent –> good –> fair –> guarded –> poor/grave
