Cell Deaths: Necrosis😊

Cell Deaths: Necrosis

  • Definition: Pathological cell death.
    • Always occurs with disease.
    • Never a normal physiological process.
    • Always associated with inflammation.

Coagulative Necrosis:

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  • Most common type (Q1)
  • Affects Solid Organs (Q2):
    • Kidney, Heart, Liver
      • Heart is most common organ
      • NOT seen in Brain, Pancreas
  • Mechanism (MOA) (Q3):
    • Denaturation of proteins
  • Features:
    • Tissue architecture preserved (Q4)
    • Numerous "GHOST cells" (Q5)
      • Outline preserved, details lost
      • Tombstone appearance
  • Synonymous with Dry gangrene

Dry Gangrene

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  • Desiccated Tissue:
    • Due to Gradual Slowing of Blood
  • Good Line of Demarcation
  • If Bone Involved: Conical Stump
 

Liquefactive (Colliquative) Necrosis:

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  • Affects: Brain, Pancreas
    • Due to richness in hydrolytic enzymes
    • Fungal infection (marrow)
    • Abscess (marrow)
  • Characteristics:
    • Tissue architecture NOT preserved
    • Results in liquid mass / forms abscess
  • Synonymous with Wet gangrene

Wet Gangrene

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  • Due to Venous Blockade or Superadded Infection
  • Poor Line of Demarcation
  • Can be Proximal Due to Extension of Infection

Management of Gangrene

Amputation

  • Indications: Cancer, Gas Gangrene, Contractures

Types

  • Local Amputation of Digits:
    • Diabetes Mellitus (DM)
  • Ray Excision:
    • Metatarsophalangeal Joint
  • Transmetatarsal:
    • Several Toes Affected
  • Below Knee Amputation
    • Preserves Knee
    • Heals Well
    • Best Chance of Walking
    • Amputation Stump:
      • ≄ 8 cm Below Knee (10-12cm)
    • Flaps: Long Posterior, Skew Flap
  • Above Knee Amputation
    • Amputation Stump: ≄ 20cm
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Complications

  • Early
      1. Hemorrhage
      1. Infection
      1. Flap Necrosis
      1. Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT)
  • Late
      1. Pain
      1. Phantom Limb Syndrome
       

Laws in Sensory Physiology

Bell–Magendie Law

  • Dorsal root → Sensory
  • Ventral root → Motor
  • Mnemonic: Door (Dorsal) bell (Bell megendie) is ventrally (Ventral)

Law of Specific Nerve Energies (MĂŒller’s Doctrine)

  • Each receptor detects a specific sensation
  • Examples:
    • Pain receptor → Pain
    • Touch receptor → Touch
    • Cold receptor → Cold
  • Mnemonic: Kayyil mulli → athoru specific sensation ayirunnu

Law of Projection

  • Stimulation of a receptor
    • Cortex projects sensation back to the lowest receptor level
    • where the sensation originated

Cortical Plasticity

  • Cortical reorganization by adjacent areas following injury.
  • Example: Hand amputation → Hand area in cortex taken over by arm area → Arm pain felt as hand pain (Phantom limb pain)
    • Primary somatosensory area = 4
  • Mnemonic: Plastic prosthesis → Hand amputation

Weber–Fechner Law

  • Magnitude of sensation ∝ log of initial stimulus intensity
  • Mnemonic: SpiderWeb to skin → no intensity → no sensation
 
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Caseous Necrosis:

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  • "Caseous" means cheesy (Q2)
    • Gross appearance: Cheesy white material
  • Coagulative >> liquefactive necrosis
  • Primarily associated with:
    • Tuberculosis (TB) (Q3)
    • Fungal infections (Histoplasmosis, Coccidioidomycosis) (Q3)

Fat Necrosis:

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  • Involves: Death/breakdown of fat tissue
    • Fat  breakdown → fatty acid + CaÂČâș
  • Causes/Locations:
    • Breast (due to trauma)
    • Omentum (due to pancreatitis → increased lipase)
  • Appearance:
    • Chalky white areas (due to saponification from fatty acids and calcium)

Fibrinoid Necrosis:

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  • Affects: Blood vessels (BV)
  • Caused by: Antigen-Antibody (Ag-Ab) complex formation
  • Seen in:
    • PAN (Polyarteritis Nodosa)
    • RHD (Rheumatic Heart Disease) → Aschoff Bodies
    • SLE (Systemic Lupus Erythematosus)
    • HTN (Malignant Hypertension)
  • Mnemonic: ashum () malayum () panil () ittitt fibre () vach ketti
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Gangrene:

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  • Nature: A clinical diagnosis (used by clinicians/surgeons).
    • Not primarily a pathology term.
  • Definition: Describes black, foul-smelling tissue.
  • Types and Pathological Basis:
    • Dry Gangrene → Coagulative necrosis.
    • Wet Gangrene → Liquefactive necrosis.

Zenker's Degeneration:

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  • Nature: Also a clinical term.
  • Coagulative necrosis.
  • Associated Condition:
    • Typhoid fever 
  • Affected Organs:
    • Primarily affects skeletal muscle.
      • rectus abdominis 
      • diaphragmatic muscle.
  • Mnemonic: Zenker → shankaran Koa (Coagulative) → thengi keri (Typhoid) → Vayaru idich veenu (skeletal muscle → rectus abd and diaphragm)