Anemic infarcts (also called white infarcts or pale infarcts) are white or pale

infarct Infarction is tissue death (necrosis) due to inadequate blood supply to the affected area. It may be caused by artery blockages, rupture, mechanical compression, or vasoconstriction. The resulting lesion is referred to as an infarct (from the ...

s caused by arterial occlusions, and are usually seen in the heart, kidney and spleen. These are referred to as "white" because of the lack of hemorrhaging and limited red blood cells accumulation, (compare to Hemorrhagic infarct). The tissues most likely to be affected are solid organs which limit the amount of hemorrhage that can seep into the area of ischemic necrosis from adjoining

capillary beds A capillary is a small blood vessel, from 5 to 10 micrometres in diameter, and is part of the microcirculation system. Capillaries are microvessels and the smallest blood vessels in the body. They are composed of only the tunica intima (the inn ...

. The organs typically include single blood supply (no dual arterial blood supply or

anastomoses An anastomosis (, : anastomoses) is a connection or opening between two things (especially cavities or passages) that are normally diverging or branching, such as between blood vessels, leaf#Veins, leaf veins, or streams. Such a connection may be ...

). The infarct generally results grossly in a wedge shaped area of necrosis with the apex closest to the occlusion and the base at the periphery of the organ. The margins will become better defined with time with a narrow rim of congestion attributable to inflammation at the edge of the lesion.Robbins Basic Pathology Relatively few extravasated red cells are lysed so the resulting hemosiderosis is limited and results in a progressively paler area of infarction with time. Ischemic

coagulative necrosis Coagulative necrosis is a type of accidental cell death typically caused by ischemia or infarction. In coagulative necrosis, the architectures of dead tissue are preserved for at least a couple of days. It is believed that the injury denatures stru ...

results and fibrosis of the affected area develops from the reparative response beginning at the preserved margins and working its way inwards. One exception to coagulative necrosis is the brain, which undergoes liquefactive necrosis in response to infarction.

References

Vascular diseases Gross pathology {{circulatory-disease-stub

See also

References