7. Brain, Perimeter Of Remote Cerebral Infarct - High
Power
Fibrillary Gliosis. This is the microscopic appearance of the brain
at the edge of the cavitary infarct. At this perimeter, virtually all
cells present are astrocytes. Some astrocytes, "fibrillary"
astrocytes, have long processes, giving the background its fibrillary
appearance. Other astrocytes have abundant pink cytoplasm. These are
"reactive" astrocytes. The abundant cytoplasm is due to an increase
in cytoplasmic organelles in response to injury. Gliosis is a
non-specific response to injury. In this case, the injury is
infarction. During healing of an infarct, what is the major
difference between the way infarcts in the brain organize compared to
infarcts in other organs?
Answer
