Vascular Disease Flashcards
How may we classify vascular disease ? Give examples of such a classification.
By the type of vessel they affect.
ARTERIES
-Arteriosclerosis=
When arteries “become thick and stiff — sometimes restricting blood flow to your organs and tissues”. Atherosclerosis is a specific type of arteriosclerosis, involving build up of fatty substances.
VEINS
-Thrombosis=
Could be phlebothrombosis, i.e. thrombosis in a vein forms independently from the presence of inflammation of the vein or Thrombophlebitis i.e. vein inflammation related to a thrombus
-Formation of varicosities (swollen, distended, and knotted veins, usually in the subcutaneous tissues of a LL)
ALL VESSELS
- Vasculitis (inflammation)
- Radiation damage
- Tumours
Describe age-related vascular changes. Are these normal ?
- Fibrosis of intima and media
- Accumulation of ground substance
- Fragmentation of elastic lamellae
Yes, these are normal with increasing age.
Which kinds of vessels does atherosclerosis affect ? Identify its main characteristics.
Large and medium-sized elastic and muscular arteries
Lipid deposition, fibrosis and chronic inflammation
What is another name of atherosclerosis ?
Atheroma
Identify the main risk factors for atherosclerosis.
- Age
- Sex
- Hypertension
- Hyperlipidaemia (particularlyLDL)
- Diabetes
- Smoking
- Obesity
- Sedentary lifestyle
- Low socio-economic status
- Low birth-weight
Describe the morphology of atherosclerosis.
- Atheromatous (fibro-fatty, fibro-lipid) plaque • Patchy and raised white to yellow 0.3-1.5cm
- Core of lipid
- Fibrous cap (smooth muscle cells, macrophages, foam cells, lymphocytes)
- Necrotic center (cell debris, foam cell, cholesterol crystals)
Identify complications of Atherosclerosis.
- MI, cardiac failure
- Cerebral infarction
- Emboli causing transient ischaemic attacks or cerebral infarcts (due to the carotid atheroma)
- Aortic aneurysm (rupture would cause immediate death)
- Peripheral vascular disease with intermittent claudication
- Gangrene
Define peripheral vascular disease.
Atheroma of distal aorta/iliac/femoral arteries, usually causing ischaemia of lower limbs
What are the possible effects of peripheral vascular disease ?
- Intermittent claudication (pain in the leg that a person experiences when walking or exercising. The pain is intermittent and goes away when the person rests)
- Pain
- Ulcers
- Gangrene
Define aneurysm.
Localised, permanent, abnormal dilatation of blood vessel or the heart
Identify the main types of aneurysms.
- Atherosclerotic
- Dissecting aortic
- Berry
- Micro-aneurysms
- Syphilitic
- Mycotic
Where do atherosclerotic aneurysms usually occur ?
Usually abdominal aorta, distal to renal arteries
Describe the demographic distribution of atherosclerotic aneurysms (any over-affected groups ?).
Women
Describe the morphology of atherosclerotic aneurysms.
- saccular (resembling a sac) or fusiform (spindle-shaped)
- 15 to 25 cm in length
- Wall diameter > 50% of normal diameter
- frequently contains mural thrombus
Identify the main clinical consequences of atherosclerotic aneurysms.
- Thrombosis
- Embolism
- Rupture
- Obstruction of a branch vessel (ischemic injury)
- Impingement on an adjacent structure
How do atherosclerotic aneurysms present ?
Presents as an abdominal pulsating mass
To what extent is an atherosclerotic aneurysm repairable.
It can be repaired
Describe the demographic distribution of dissecting aortic aneurysms (any over-affected groups ?).
- Men x3 more than women
- Men 40 to 60 with hypertension
- Younger patients with systemic or localized abnormalities of connective tissue
Describe the morphology of a dissecting aortic aneurysm.
- usually initiates in tunica intima, 1-2 cm from aortic valve (blood accumulates between intima and media)
- dissection can extend
1) along the aorta retrograde toward the heart or
2) distally, sometimes into the iliac and femoral arteries
Identify a possible complication of dissecting aortic aneurysms.
Dissection travels upwards around pericardium, causing accumulation of
blood around pericardial sac (cardiac tamponade, can be fatal)
Identify the clinical symptoms of a dissecting aortic aneurysm.
The sudden onset of excruciating pain:
-beginning in the anterior chest, radiating to the back, between the scapulae, and moving downward as the dissection progresses (the pain can be confused with that of myocardial infarction)
What are the most common causes of death associated with dissecting aortic aneurysms ?
Rupture of the dissection outward into the pericardial, pleural, or peritoneal cavities