21 - Utilizing Cadaveric Dissection to Understand Pathophysiology

Poster Board Number: 21
There are separate poster presentation times for odd and even posters.
Odd poster #s – first hour
Even poster #s – second hour

Abstract Body : Within medical education, understanding anatomy is a fundamental building block necessary to understanding the function of the human body and the further application of the pathology that is diagnosed and treated. As a result, anatomic pathology, pathophysiology and anatomy are frequently connected and can be utilized together to learn and understand concepts to a higher degree in both fields. The format for clinical anatomy education has diversified, however, and some institutions have moved away from cadaver-based instruction in favor of models and digital simulation of stereotypical configurations of the anatomy. This report discusses the benefits of cadaveric dissection by medical students to begin to understand pathophysiology, connecting the anatomy to pathological findings incidentally discovered within the body.

The donor described is an 83-year-old female who died of cerebrovascular disease. They had a history of hypertension. Findings within this donor included a 3cm left paravertebral mass suspected to be a paraganglioma with histological investigations completed to confirm this finding. Other gross pathological findings included concentric hypertrophy of the left ventricle resulting in a reduced chamber size. Within the stomach, hypertrophied and elongated rugae were discovered and dissection of the intestines revealed diffuse small intestinal fibrosis. The latter of these findings suggests a potential Carney-Stratakis Dyad secondary to a paraganglioma.

Utilizing these cadaveric and histological findings, the pathophysiology behind specific structures and components of the patient’s history could be integrated to understand the disease mechanisms underlying a paraganglioma and its downstream impacts on other organ systems such as the cardiovascular and gastrointestinal tract systems. As an adjunct to the core medical school curriculum, this sort of investigation of incidental findings from the cadaver lab is an opportunity for self-directed learning that bridges disciplines. It represents a unique type of anatomical education that synthesizes different techniques and investigations from cadaveric dissection to anatomic pathology. It builds on a holistic understanding of the connections between structure and function within the human body and provides students with an opportunity to further deepen the understanding and application of foundational sciences knowledge in an investigative approach, thereby developing tools that will bolster clinical problem-solving skills in their careers as physicians.