Case Studies: Cell Injury, Inflammation and Repair: Case 1: Morphological Reactions to Persistent Stress

What is your pathologic diagnosis? List three pathophysiologic mechanisms associated with this adaptive response. Define ischemia. What is the most common cause of "persistent cell injury"?

The diagnosis is brain atrophy.


Organ enlargement takes many forms. What organ is enlarged here? What two types of cellular adaptation are associated with these slides?

The diagnosis is goiter: thyroid hypertrophy and hyperplasia.

Identify the organ. What adaptive response has occurred?

The diagnosis is concentric left ventricular hypertrophy.


Describe the appearance of this liver. What is accumulating in the hepatocytes (see red stain)? Does this morphologic observation represent "injury" to the cell? What sources of calories are associated with these findings?

The diagnosis is alcoholic fatty liver.

Question for Class Discussion

  • List and define five morphologic reactions to persistent stress.  Are these adaptations reversible?  Why is dysplasia considered to be a preneoplastic lesion?

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