Details

Liver showing polyarteritis nodosa

GC.14574-2

Specimen and Histological Glass Slide x3 Liver showing polyarteritis nodosa. From a male aged 44 who developed a rash, chest infection and anorexia 3 months before his death. These cleared but were followed by severe abdominal pain that came and went. Hypotensive drugs and steroids were given but he developed a fatal gram-negative septicaemia. In this specimen of the liver, there is an infarction (polyarteritis). A swollen and grossly discoloured liver.There is extensive infarction and as the result of superimposed infection, parts of the liver substance have broken down to bile stained abscess formation. One of the largest of the abscesses in the upper part of the specimen is now enclosed by thick fibrous walls. The infarction primarily resulted from polyarteritis of hepatic arteries but obviously portal veins and other vessels have now become thrombosed.

Twentieth century