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Pathological features in ischemic bowel disease-
Gross Features:
In acute
ischemia bowel wall is edematous and dusky in colour. Mucosa is necrotic and
has a nodular surface due to excessive submucosal hemorrhage.
Mucosal surface may be covered by patches of white slough.
Necrosis and gangrene may affect part or all of bowel wall.
In some cases only mucous membrane is affected especially in nonocclusive
type of ischemia.
Microscopic
features:
I Early mucosal
lesion :
- Swelling of lamina
propria. Hemorrhage, vascular dilation and submucosal edema may or may not
be present.
- Emigration of
neutrophils into the lamina propria and epithelium.
- Crypt and villous
atrophy .
- Adhesion between
adjacent villi in some cases.
- Destruction of
epithelium.
II Later stage:
- Surface membrane
of mucus, fibrin, RBCs.
- Prominent areas
of hemorrhage and edema in submucosa.
- Fibrin thrombi in
mucosa and submucosal capillaries.
- Muscle layer is
characterized by loss of nuclei and pale staining in the early stage. In
the late stage there is lysis, separation and thinning of the muscle layer.
- Infarction
(hemorrhage in the submucosa, intravascular thrombosis, mucosal ulceration.)
- Bacteria produce
gangrene and perforation develops within days.
- Infection may
spread to mesentery leading to thrombosis and secondary arteritis of
mesenteric vessels.
(Note:
Microscopic study of mesenteric vessels is important to rule out vasculitis.)
CHRONIC ISCHEMIA:
Segmental or patchy distribution.
Mucosal inflammation, submucosa filled with granulation tissue, ulceration,
patchy fibrosis, stricture.
PREDISPOSING
CONDITIONS;
1. Arterial occlusion:
Atherosclerosis,
stenosis of celiac axis, dissecting aneurysm, angiography, surgery .
2. Pathology in
mural vasculature:
Vasculitis-(Collagen
vascular disorder, polyarteritis nodosa) . Compression -( Volvulus, hernia).
Amyloidosis.
3. Venous occlusion:
Cirrhosis,
sepsis, hypercoagulable states, surgery, trauma.
4. Nonocclusive
ischemia:
Cardiac failure, shock, dehydration, vasoconstrictive drugs.
Lesions causing small bowel obstruction and bleeding
;
Meckel's Diverticulum.
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