Vascular Pathology Flashcards
What characteristic of the vessels has the most influece on pressure within the vessel?
-the radius
What is an arteriovenous malformation?
-a connection between arteries and veins w/o intervening capillaries
What happens when there are large or multiple arteriovenous malformations (AVM’s) that are shunting blood from arterial to venous circulation?
–forces the heart to pump additional volume, which leads to high-output cardiac failure
What are some injurious causes of AVM’s?
- rupture of an arterial aneurysm into an adjacent vein
- penetrating injury that pierce arteries and veins
- inflammatory necrosis or adjacent vessels
In what population are AVM’s most commonly diagnosed?
- men
- late childhood or early adulthood
When would an AVM be medically indicated and surgically created?
-an arteriovenous fistula to provide access for chronic hemodialysis or chemotherapy
What is a Berry (Saccular) Aneurysm and where are they typically found?
- focal, abnormal arterial dilation d/t underlying media defect
- Circle of Willis near the branch of the Anterior Cerebral A. and the Anterior Communicating A. (40%)
What are major risk factors of a Berry Aneurysm?
- HTN
- smoking
What conditions are associated with Berry Aneurysms?
- AD PKD
- Marfan Syndrome
- Ehlers Danlos Syndrome
What is the most common cause of subarachnoid hemorrhages?
-Berry Aneurysm rupture
What causes Berry Aneurysm rupture?
- acute increases in intracranial pressure
ex: straining w/ BM’s or orgasms
How would a patient present with a ruptured Berry Aneurysm?
- “worst headache of my life”
- neck pain
- vomiting
- double vision
- seizures
- loss of consciousness
What are possible causes of a Mycotic Aneurysm?
- septic emboli (ex: from infective endocarditis)
- could be an extension of adjacent infectious process or from circulating organisms that directly infect the arterial wall
What is Fibromuscular Dysplasia?
–focal, irregular thickening in medium and large muscular arteries (ex: RENAL, carotid, splanchnic, etc.)
–likely a developmental etiology (high incidence in first-degree relatives)
What is the most common population to be affected by Fibromuscular Dysplasia?
-young women
What does Fibromuscular Dysplasia look like on angiography and what would you find on physical exam?
- “string of beads”
- epigastric abdominal bruit d/t renovascular HTN caused by Fibromuscular Dysplasia (present in 50%)
What level of blood vessels regulates peripheral vascular resistance?
- arterioles
- influenced by neural and hormonal factors
What is the main cause of primary HTN?
–90-95% idiopathic (essential HTN)
What are risk factors of HTN?
Unmodifiable Risk Factors: age, genetics (ex: blacks have increased risk)
Modifiable Risk Factors: stress, obesity, physical inactivity, high salt consumption
What are some causes of secondary HTN?
- kidney (renovascular disease, renal A. stenosis)
- endocrine (pheochromocytoma)
- cardiovascular (coarctation of the aorta)
How is the category of severity determined for HTN?
-whichever number is higher
ex: 144/86 would be Stage 2
S144 = Stage 2
D86 = Stage 1
What are the categories of severity of HTN?
Normal S<120 and D<80 (ex: 116/76) Elevated S120-129 and D<80 (ex: 124/76) Stage 1 S130-139 or D80-89 (ex: 134/84) Stage 2 S140+ or D90+ (ex: 146/96) HTN Crisis S>180 and/or D>120 (ex: 184/124)
What is Primary Hyperaldosteronism?
-HTN w/ hypokalemia
What causes Cushing Syndrome (which is an endocrine-related cause of secondary HTN)?
- tumor secretes ACTH, which increases cortisol secretion (pituitary or adrenal tumor, lung cancer, etc.)
- iatrogenic (ex: steroids)
What are clinical characteristics of Cushing Syndrome?
- “moon face” and increased facial hair growth
- weight gain in neck, back, and belly
- weak muscles in upper arms and legs
- skin bruises easily and heals poorly
- stretch marks
What is Pheochromocytoma (an endocrine-related cause of secondary HTN)?
- tumor of chromaffin cells in the adrenal gland
- releases epi/norepi to act on B1 and alpha1 receptor
- increases cardiac output
- constricts blood vessels
- associated w/ MEN syndrome
What is the clinical presentation of Pheochromocytoma?
- HTN
- tachycardia, palpitations
- headache
- diaphoresis
- tremor
How do you test for Pheochromocytoma?
-elevated urinary or plasma metanephrines (breakdown product of catecholamines)
What are the characteristics of Renal A. Stenosis (a renal cause of secondary HTN)?
- could be d/t atherosclerosis
- could be d/t Fibromuscular Dysplasia
- HTN decreases GFR and causes chronic kidney Dz
- increased creatinine
- can hear an abdominal bruit
What are characteristics of Coarctation of the Aorta (a CV cause of secondary HTN)?
- associated w/ bicuspid aortic valves
- more common in men
- HTN in the upper extremities
- htn in the lower extremities
What are the end organ effects of HTN on the heart and aorta?
- cardiac hypertrophy
- chronic heart failure
- ischemic heart disease
- acute aortic dissection
What are the end organ effects of HTN on the kidney?
-renal dysfxn and failure
What are the end organ effects of HTN on the brain and eye?
- -multi-infarct dementia
- -cerebrovascular hemorrhage
- -stroke
- -increased intracranial pressure and papilledema
- -retinopathy
What are the most common causes of death in untreated HTN patients?
- 50% die of ischemic heart disease or heart failure
- 33% die of stroke
What is Hyaline Arteriolosclerosis (a HTN Vascular Dz)?
-homogenous pink hyaline thickening of the vessel wall, leading to a narrow lumen; CHRONIC HTN
- increased smooth muscle matrix synthesis
- increased leakage of plasma proteins
What other factor besides HTN might cause hyaline arteriosclerosis?
-side effect of calcineurin inhibitors
What is hyaline nephrosclerosis?
-arteriolar narrowing leads to impaired renal blood supply and ischemic glomerulosclerosis
Is a HTN crisis the result of a slow or rapid rise in BP?
- rapid
- systolic >180; diastolic >120
What is a HTN Emergency?
–HTN crisis w/ end organ damage (often superimposed on pre-existing benign HTN)
-renal failure, encephalopathy, acute heart failure, retinal hemorrhages/exudates +/- papilledema
What is Hyperplastic Arteriolosclerosis (a HTN Vascular Dz)?
- smooth muscle forms concentric lamellations (“onion skinning”) that cause a narrow lumen
- occurs in SEVERE HTN
In malignant HTN, what else is seen besides lamellations that are seen in Hyperplastic Arteriolosclerosis?
-fibrinoid deposits and vessel wall necrosis (particularly in the kidney)
What is atherosclerosis?
- “gruel” and “hardening”
- atheromatous plaque formation
- stenosis/occlusion
- plaque rupture
- aneurysm
What is Monckeberg Medial Sclerosis?
- -age-related degenerative process
- -calcification of muscular arteries (internal elastic membrane)
–no narrowing of lumen; not clinically significant
True or False: MI’s are responsible for almost 25% of all deaths in the US and is the number 1 cause of mortality
True
What are major non-modifiable risk factors for atherosclerosis?
- genetic abnormalities (multifactorial inheritance)
- family history
- increasing age (40-60’s)
- male sex
True or False: premenopausal estrogenized women have an increased risk of atherosclerosis
False; there is a Protective Effect against atherosclerosis
What are major modifiable risk factors for atherosclerosis?
- hyperlipidemia
- HTN
- cigarette smoking
- diabetes
What increases LDL?
- animal products
- trans fat (fried foods, snack foods)
What decreases LDL?
- soluble fiber
- statins (inhibit HMG CoA reductase which makes LDL)
What increases HDL?
- exercise
- moderate alcohol consumption
What decreases HDL?
- obesity
- smoking
What is the physiological process behind how cigarette smoking increases risk of atherosclerosis?
- cigarette smoking increases free radicals and ROS
- ->causes endothelial dysfxn
- ->causes platelet activation
What is the physiological process behind how diabetes increases risk of atherosclerosis?
-increased glucose causes oxidative stress, which causes inflammation
How does the endothelium respond to turbulent flow, HTN, cigarette smoking, etc.?
- becomes activated (pro-thrombotic, pro-inflammatory)
- expresses procoagulants
- expresses adhesion molecules
What is the structure of plaque?
- rests against the internal elastic membrane
- necrotic ctr (cell debris, cholesterol crystals, calcium)
- fibrous cap (macrophages, lymphocytes, collagen)
Where do most atherosclerotic lesions forms?
- areas of flow disturbance or branch points
- near endothelial injury/dysfxn
What growth factors cause smooth muscle cell proliferation and collagen deposition (ECM)?
- -PDGF (by platelets, macrophages, endothelial cells)
- -fibroblast GF
- -TGF-alpha
Which vessel in the body is the most heavily involved with atherosclerosis?
-abdominal aorta
What is the definition of an aneurysm?
-an excessive localized abnormal dilation of a blood vessel or ventricular wall
What is the difference between a true aneurysm and a false aneurysm?
A true aneurysm has an intact vessel wall