NEET MDS Lessons
General Pathology
Aneurysm
An aneurysm is a localized abnormal dilation of a blood vessel or the heart
Types:
1. True aneurysm - it involves all three layers of the arterial wall (intima, media, and adventitia) or the attenuated wall of the heart.
e.g. Atherosclerotic, syphilitic, and congenital aneurysms, and ventricular aneurysms that follow transmural myocardial infarctions.
2 False aneurysm
(also called pseudo-aneurysm) is a breach in the vascular wall leading to an extravascular hematoma that freely communicates with the intravascular space ("pulsating hematoma").
E.g. ventricular ruptures after MI that are contained by a pericardial adhesion
E.g. a leak at the junction of a vascular graft with a natural artery.
Aneurysms are classified by macroscopic shape and size
Saccular aneurysms
spherical outpouchings (involving only a portion of the vessel wall, and often contain thrombi.
Fusiform aneurysms
diffuse, circumferential dilation of a long vascular segment;
they vary in diameter and length and can involve extensive portions of the aortic arch, abdominal aorta, or even the iliacs.
Aortic Aneurysm
The two most important causes are:
1- atherosclerosis : the most common cause
It causes thinning and weakening of the media. The intimal plaques compress the underlying media and also compromise nutrient and waste diffusion from the vascular lumen into the arterial wall. The media consequently undergoes degeneration and necrosis, thus allowing the dilation of the vessel
2- cystic medial degeneration of the arterial media. E.g. Marfan syndrome.
3- Other causes include: trauma, congenital defects (e.g., berry aneurysms), infections (mycotic aneurysms), systemic diseases, such as vasculitis.
Mycotic Aneurysm :
Infection of a major artery that weakens its wall is called a mycotic aneurysm
possible complications: thrombosis and rupture.
It can originate from:
(1) embolization of a septic thrombus, usually as a complication of infective endocarditis
(2) extension of an adjacent suppurative process;
(3) circulating organisms directly infecting the arterial wall
Mycotic AAAs are atherosclerotic lesions infected by lodging of circulating microorganisms in the wall
- e.g. bacteremia from a primary Salmonella gastroenteritis.
Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm
Atherosclerotic aneurysms occur most frequently in the abdominal aorta ,the common iliac arteries, the arch, and descending parts of the thoracic aorta can also be involved
Pathogenesis
AAA occurs more frequently in men and rarely develops before age 50.
Atherosclerosis is a major cause of AAA
hereditary defects in structural components of the aorta (e.g., defective fibrillin production in Marfan disease affects elastic tissue synthesis)
Morphology :
Usually positioned below the renal arteries and above the bifurcation of the aorta
AAA can be saccular or fusiform
as large as 15 cm in diameter, and as long as 25 cm.
Microscopically: atherosclerosis with destruction and thinning of the underlying aortic media
the aneurysm frequently contains a laminated mural thrombus
Syphilitic Aneurysm
Caused by The spirochetes T. pallidum
Tertiary stage of syphilis can cause obliterative endarteritis of the involve small vessels in any part of the body, including the vasa vasorum of the aorta
This results in ischemic medial injury, leading to aneurysmal dilation of the aorta and aortic annulus, and eventually valvular insufficiency.
valvular insufficiency and massive volume overload lead to hypertrophy of the left ventricle. The greatly enlarged hearts are sometimes called "cor bovinum" (cow's heart).
CLINICAL CONSEQUENCES
1. Rupture → massive potentially fatal hemorrhage
2. Obstruction of downstream vessel → tissue ischemic injury
3. Embolism → from atheroma or mural thrombus
4. Impingement and compression on an adjacent structure
5. Presentation as an abdominal mass
HYPERTROPHY
Increase in the size of an organ or tissue due to increase in the size of its Constituent cells.
1. Skeletal muscle due to -exercise.
2. Cardiac muscle of:
- Left ventricle in:
o Hypertension.
o Aortic valvular lesion.
o Severe anaemia.
- Right ventricle in :
o Mitral stenosis
o Cor pulmonale
3. Smooth muscle of:
- GIT proximal to strictures.
- Uterus in pregnancy.
PRIMARY LYMPHEDEMA
can occur as:
1- A congenital defect, resulting from lymphatic agenesis or hypoplasia.
2- Secondary or obstructive lymphedema
- blockage of a previously normal lymphatic; e.g. Malignant tumors
- Surgical procedures that remove lymph nodes
- Postirradiation
- Fibrosis
- Filariasis
- Postinflammatory thrombosis and scarring
EMBOLISM
Definition: transportation of an abnormal mass of an abnormal mass of undissolved material from one part of circulation to another. The mass transported is called embolus.
Types
I .Thrombi and clots.
2. Gas or air.
3. Fat
4.Amniotic fluid.
5.Tumour
Thromboembolism
This is the commonest type of embolus and may be formed of the primary thrombus or more often of propagated clot region which is loosely attached.
Emboli from venous thrombi can result In impaction in the pulmonary arteries and result in sudden death.
Embolism from cardiac or arterial thrombi results in systemic embolism causing infraction and gangrene.
Gaseous
This occurs when gas is introduced into the circulation:
• Accidental opening of large veins during surgery.
• Mismanaged transfusion. .
As air is readily absorbed into blood only sudden introduction or large quantities of air produces effects
Caisson’s Disease bubbling of nitrogen from the blood during sudden decompression as seen during deep sea diving.
Fat Embolism
Causes
• Fractures especially of long bones and multiple
• Crush injuries.
Sites of impaction:
o Lungs.
o Systemic: causing -
→ petechial skin haemorrhages.
→ Embolism to brain leading to coma and death.
→ Conjunctival and retinal haemorrhages
Tumor Embolism.
Invasion of vascular channe1.s is a feature of malignant neoplasms and this leads to:
• Metastatic deposits,
• DlC
Nevus
A nevus refers to any congenital lesion of the skin, while a nevocellular nevus specifically refers to a benign tumor of neural crest-derived cells that include modified melanocytes of various shapes (nevus cells).
- nevocellular nevi are generally tan to deep brown, uniformly pigmented, small papules with well-defined, rounded borders.
- most nevocellular nevi are subdivided into junctional, intradermal, or compound types.
- most nevocellular nevi begin as junctional nevi with nevus cells located along the basal cell layer producing small, flat lesions, which are only slightly raised.
- junctional nevi usually develop into compound nevi as nevus cells extend into the underlying superficial dermis forming cords and columns of cells (compound: nevi at junction and in the dermis).
- eventually, the junctional component of a nevocellular nevus is lost, leaving only nevus cells within the dermis, thus the term intradermal nevus.
- junctional → compound → intradermal nevus.
- although uncommon, certain nevi may evolve into a malignant melanoma, particularly those which are congenital and those which are referred to as dysplastic nevi.
- a dysplastic nevus is commonly associated with patients who have multiple scattered nevi over the entire body (dysplastic nevus syndrome) with individual lesions that have a diameter greater than 1 cm.
Infectious Mononucleosis
It is an Epstein Barr virus infection in children and young adults.
Features
-Constitutional symptoms.
-Sore throat.
-Lymphnode enlargement.
-Skin rashes
-Jaundice.
-Rarely pneumonia, meningitis and encephalitis.
Blood Picture
- Total count of I0,000. 20,000 /cu.mm.
- Lymphocytosis (50-90%) with atypical forms. They are larger with more cytoplasm which may be vacuolated or basophilic. Nucleus may be indented. with nucleoli (Downy type I to III).
- Platelets may be reduced.
- Paul Bunell test (for heterophil antibody against sheep RBC) is positive
Fibrous and Fibro-Osseous Tumors
Fibrous tumors of bone are common and comprise several morphological variants.
1. Fibrous Cortical Defect and Nonossifying Fibroma
Fibrous cortical defects occur in 30% to 50% of all children older than 2 years of age; they are probably developmental rather than true neoplasms. The vast majority are smaller than 0.5 cm and arise in the metaphysis of the distal femur or proximal tibia; almost half are bilateral or multiple. They may enlarge in size (5-6 cm) to form nonossifying fibromas. Both lesions present as sharply demarcated radiolucencies surrounded by a thin zone of sclerosis. Microscopically are cellular and composed of benign fibroblasts and macrophages, including multinucleated forms. The fibroblasts classically exhibit a storiform pattern. Fibrous cortical defects are asymptomatic and are usually only detected as incidental radiographic lesions. Most undergo spontaneous differentiation into normal cortical bone. The few that enlarge into nonossifying fibromas can present with pathologic fracture; in such cases biopsy is necessary to rule out other tumors.
2. Fibrous Dysplasia
is a benign mass lesion in which all components of normal bone are present, but they fail to differentiate into mature structures. Fibrous dysplasia occurs as one of three clinical patterns:
A. Involvement of a single bone (monostotic)
B. nvolvement of multiple bones (polyostotic)
C. Polyostotic disease, associated with café au lait skin pigmentations and endocrine abnormalities, especially precocious puberty (Albright syndrome).
Monostotic fibrous dysplasia accounts for 70% of cases. It usually begins in early adolescence, and ceases with epiphyseal closure. It frequently involves ribs, femur, tibia & jawbones. Lesions are asymptomatic and usually discovered incidentally. However, fibrous dysplasia can cause marked enlargement and distortion of bone, so that if the face or skull is involved, disfigurement can occur.
Polyostotic fibrous dysplasia without endocrine dysfunction accounts for the majority of the remaining cases.
It tends to involve the shoulder and pelvic girdles, resulting in severe deformities and spontaneous fractures.
Albright syndrome accounts for 3% of all cases. The bone lesions are often unilateral, and the skin pigmentation is usually limited to the same side of the body. The cutaneous macules are classically large, dark to light brown (café au lait), and irregular.
Gross features
• The lesion is well-circumscribed, intramedullary; large masses expand and distort the bone.
On section it is tan-white and gritty.
Microscopic features
• There are curved trabeculae of woven bone (mimicking Chinese characters), without osteoblastic rimming
• The above are set within fibroblastic proliferation
Individuals with monostotic disease usually have minimal symptoms. By x-ray, lesions exhibit a characteristic ground-glass appearance with well-defined margins. Polyostotic involvement is frequently associated with progressive disease, and more severe skeletal complications (e.g., fractures, long bone deformities, and craniofacial distortion). Rarely, polyostotic disease can transform into osteosarcoma, especially following radiotherapy.