Necrosis patterns
[object Object]
What it means
Pathological cell death with membrane failure and inflammation. Coagulative (most ischaemia — heart, kidney): architecture preserved. Liquefactive (brain infarct, abscess): tissue digested to pus. Caseous (TB): cheese-like. Fat (pancreatitis, breast trauma): saponification + calcium. Fibrinoid (vasculitis, malignant hypertension): vessel-wall protein deposition. Gangrenous: dry (mummified) vs wet (infected).
Worked example
Bland, architecture-preserved infarction in the kidney after arterial occlusion = coagulative necrosis.
In the exam
After an embolic renal infarct the dead tissue retains its outline (ghost cells) with preserved architecture.
What settles it
Brain infarcts uniquely undergo LIQUEFACTIVE necrosis; most other solid-organ infarcts are COAGULATIVE.
Classically confused with
Apoptosis
Source: StatPearls — Necrosis