Page created on December 3, 2018. Last updated on January 17, 2019 at 17:21
Staining: PAS
Organ: Lung
Description:
The lung parenchyme look odd, and there are much fewer (open) alveoli than normal. The alveoli that are present are covered by a hyaline “membrane”.
Diagnosis: Neonatal respiratory distress syndrome
Causes:
- Lack of pulmonary surfactant
Theory:
In NRDS are most alveoli atelectic (collapsed), which is why so few alveoli are visible and why the lung parenchyme looks “denser”. The atelectasis damages the alveolo-capillary membrane, increasing the permeability of it, which allows fibrous exudate to enter the alveoli. It is this exudate that forms the hyaline membranes.
RBCs enter the alveoli when the alveolo-capillary membrane is damaged.