INTRODUCTION TO GENERAL PATHOLOGY o Biopsy: removal and examination of tissue from the

living body to establish a precise diagnosis.

I. Definitions & Terminology o Diagnosis: a concise statement or conclusion concerning
o Disease: (2 definitions) the nature, cause, or name of a disease; the accuracy of a
1. A disorder of structure or function, especially one diagnosis is limited by the evidence available for study.
that produces specific clinical signs.  Differential Diagnosis (“rule-outs”):
2. Any deviation from, or interruption of, the normal - A list of diagnoses that could account for the
structure or function of any part, organ or system of history, clinical signs, or lesions in a case.
the body; which may be clinical (characteristic set of (“possible choices”)
symptoms and signs) or subclinical and whose  Clinical Diangnosis:
etiology, pathology, and prognosis may be known or - Diagnosis based on data obtained from the case
unknown. history, clinical signs, and physical examination.
o Pathology: (2 definitions)  Morphologic Diagnosis (lesion diagnosis):
1. The study of disease; literally, the study (logos) of - A diagnosis based on the predominant lesion/s
suffering (pathos). in the tissue.
2. The study of the functional, biochemical and - May be macroscopic (gross) or microscopic
morphological alterations in cells, tissues and organs (histologic) and describes the severity, duration,
that underlie disease. distribution, location, and nature (eg.
o General Pathology: the study of the basic reactions of degenerative, inflammatory, neoplastic) of the
cells and tissues to abnormal stimuli that underlie all lesion.
diseases. - Eg. severe, acute, locally-extensive, fibrinous
o Systemic Pathology: the study of the specific responses bronchopneumonia.
of specialized organs and tissues to more or less well  Etiologic Diagnosis:
defined stimuli. - A definitive diagnosis that names the
o Four aspects of a disease form the core of pathology: specific/general cause of the disease
1. Etiology - Pathologic or genetic
- cause of disease; genetic vs. acquired (eg. - Eg. parvoviral enteritis, parasitic hepatitis
infectious, nutritional, chemical, physical, etc.)  Disease (Definitive) Diagnosis
- many diseases are multifactorial: combination of - A specific diagnosis that states the name of the
inherited susceptibility and external influence disease.
2. Pathogenesis
- Mechanisms or sequence of events leading from
initiation of cell or tissue injury to disease dev’t
3. Morphologic Changes
- The structural alterations (gross or microscopic)
in cells or tissues that are often characteristic of
the disease.
4. Functional Derangements/Clinical significance
- The nature of the morphologic changes and
their distribution in organs/tissues influence
normal function and determine the clinical
signs, course, and prognosis of the disease.
o Lesion: any structural/functional abnormality in an
organ, tissue, or cell.
o Pathognomonic: a lesion or sign that is specifically
distinctive or characteristic of a disease or pathological
condition; eg.
1. bullseye or target rash (erythema chronicum
migrans): seen in 80% of cases of Lyme disease
2. Diamond skin disease: caused by Erysipelothrix
rhusiopathiae
o Necropsy/Autopsy
 Postmortem examination of the body to determine
the nature of pathological processes that
contributed to death or disease.
- Autopsy: human body
- Necropsy: other animals