A 70-year-old man is brought to the emergency department due to left-sided weakness and slurred speech upon awakening 30 minutes ago. The patient was asymptomatic when he went to bed last night. Medical history includes type 2 diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia. He dies despite proper treatment. The brain autopsy reveals neurons with shrunken nuclei and eosinophilic cytoplasm lacking Nissl bodies. Which of the following is the most likely cause of these findings?

Question

A 70-year-old man is brought to the emergency department due to left-sided weakness and slurred speech upon awakening 30 minutes ago.  The patient was asymptomatic when he went to bed last night.  Medical history includes type 2 diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia.   He dies despite proper treatment. The brain autopsy reveals neurons with shrunken nuclei and eosinophilic cytoplasm lacking Nissl bodies.  Which of the following is the most likely cause of these findings?

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Eductional Objective: Neurons that sustain irreversible ischemic injury begin to develop characteristic histopathologic changes 12-24 hours after the inciting event.  These changes include shrinkage of the cell body, pyknosis of the nucleus, loss of Nissl bodies, and cytoplasmic eosinophilia (red neurons).

A 70-Year-Old Man Is Brought to the Emergency Department Due