A cyst is an abnormal, fluid-filled or air-filled space in the body, surrounded by a thin wall of tissue. The inside of a cyst can be empty (containing air), or it might be filled with fluid, blood, pus (dead immune cells), or other types of material. Cysts can develop anywhere in the body and can …
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Desmin is a protein found inside cells that form muscle tissue. It helps provide structure and support within muscle cells, allowing them to contract and function properly. Desmin is part of a group of proteins called intermediate filaments, which form a supportive framework in the cell. It is especially important in smooth, skeletal, and cardiac …
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Chronic inflammation is the body’s long-term or delayed defense to injury or disease. Cells from the body’s immune system take part in this response. These cells include lymphocytes, plasma cells, eosinophils, and histiocytes. What causes chronic inflammation? Chronic inflammation can be caused by various factors and often results from a complex interplay of genetic, environmental, …
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A cholesterol cleft is a small open space filled with cholesterol, a type of fat that can only be seen under a microscope. Where do cholesterol clefts come from? Our body is made up of trillions of cells. Each cell is like a tiny water-filled bag with an outer wall that surrounds the soft parts …
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Cautery artifact is a term pathologists use to describe changes in the appearance of cells and tissue caused by heat during a surgical procedure. These changes are not related to disease — they are a side effect of a common surgical tool called electrocautery, which uses electrical heat to cut tissue and seal bleeding blood …
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CD34 is a protein found on the surface of specific cells in your body, mainly stem cells (cells that can develop into various other types of cells), endothelial cells (blood vessel cells), and specific blood-forming cells. It plays an important role in cell growth and development, especially in forming new blood vessels and blood cells. …
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In medicine, the word benign describes something that is not cancer. Most often, it refers to abnormal growths or tumors — abnormal masses of cells — that stay in place and do not spread to other parts of the body. Pathologists, who are the doctors who examine tissues and cells under a microscope, use the …
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A resection is a surgical procedure performed to remove an area of abnormal tissue such as a tumour from the body. A resection usually removes all of the abnormal tissue plus some surrounding normal tissue. The tissue removed is called a specimen and the cut edge of the tissue is called the margin. This type …
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In pathology, a specimen is any sample taken from your body and sent to a laboratory for examination by a pathologist. Specimens can vary widely in size and type, from small samples of tissue to entire organs or even bodily fluids like blood or urine. Examining specimens is essential for diagnosing and understanding many different …
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The Pathology Dictionary provides simple, patient-friendly definitions of the most common words and phrases used in pathology reports. Each entry explains what a term means in plain language and how pathologists use it. There are currently over 500 terms in the dictionary, covering everything from basic concepts like biopsy and malignant to specialized tests like …
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