Pathology Flashcards
(121 cards)
What are the stages of the diagnostic process?
- Detect any abnormalities
- Objectively describe the morphological features of the lesions
- Interpret the nature of the change - consider pathological processes/differential diagnosis
- Generate a preliminary diagnosis/morphological diagnosis
When describing a lesion, what should you include?
- Location/site – organ, structure, anatomical region
- Distribution and number/extent
- Shape
- Size
- Colour
- Texture
- Other features – contour, demarcation content, odour, patency, weight of an organ
What is included in the location/site description of a lesion?
- The anatomical location or organ/tissue
- Location within an organ
When multifocal, how can including number in a description be more helpful?
May be more helpful to provide a number. If too many to count, estimate the number – tens of, hundreds of, innumerable
How does extent describe a lesion?
Indicate the proportion of the organ/anatomical site affected
How does shape describe a lesion?
- 3 dimensional or 2 dimensional structure
- Contour – raised, flat, depressed, smooth, irregular
- Demarcation – well or poorly demarcated
How can colour be described to aid lesion description?
Modifiers – light, pale, dark, mottled, streaked, stippled
What does redness indicate about a lesion?
Amount of blood present
What does a white lesion indicate?
- High cellular density
- Connective tissue (fibrosis, fat)
- Mineralisation
- Reduced blood flow/ischaemia/necrosis
What does a yellow lesion indicate?
Fat, bilirubin, fibrin, necrosis
What does a green lesion indicate?
Bile, necrosis, post-mortem changes
What does a black lesion indicate?
Melanin, iron pigment, necrosis
What are the possible textures a lesion could be described as?
Soft – skin, subcutis, fat, muscle, stomach, intestines, lungs
Firm – liver, kidney
Hard – bone, cartilage
Spongy/flabby – lung
Friable (crumbly)
Granular
Gritty
Viscous
Mucoid
Gelatinous
Homogenous
Crepitant (crackling sensation)
What does watery liquid indicate about a lesion?
Clear or coloured, such as serosanguineous
What does viscous liquid indicate about a lesion?
Thick, such as mucus or fibrin present
What does an opaque liquid indicate about a lesion?
Contains cells or lipid droplets
What does a turbid liquid indicate about a lesion?
Cloudy/opaque and contains clumped suspended matter or material, such as fibrin, cells
What are the 6 basic pathological processes?
- Congenital disorders – functional or structural
- Adaptive changes in cell growth (hyperplasia)
- Neoplasia
- Cellular degeneration/necrosis
- Inflammation and healing
- Vascular circulatory disorders
What is a morphological diagnosis?
- A short phrase that summarises the most important aspects of the lesion
- Used to communicate the findings to other veterinary professionals
- May be changed or overturned by new information e.g. results of further diagnostic investigations
How is duration indicated in morphological diagnosis?
Peracute
Acute
Subacute
Chronic
Chronic-active
How is tissue reaction described in morphological diagnosis?
Fibrinous
Suppurative
Liquefactive
Granulomatous
Necrotising
Caseous
Oedematous
Hyperplastic
Proliferative
Erosive
How is site name described in morphological diagnosis?
Hepat- = liver
Dermat- = skin
Nephr- = kidney
Encephal- = brain
Arthr- = joint
How is process/disease described in morphological diagnosis?
-itis = inflammation
-osis = condition of
-opathy = disease
Define aneuploidy.
Alteration in the number of chromosomes