Abstract
An abattoir study on the abdominal fat necrosis in adult cattle was performed pathologically. Grossly, masses of fat necrosis were leekgreen in colour, lobulated on the cut surface, and saponificated in the texture. These necrotic adipose tissues infiltrated usually into neighboring parenchymal organs including intestines and pancreas, leading to fibrosis or atrophy of them. Histopathologically, necrotic fat cells contained acidophilic, opaque, amorphous substance or basophilic fibrillar or granular minerals in their cytoplasms. The lesions of fat necrosis were divided by fibroconnective tissue. With increase of the severity, necrotic fat cells fused each other and then formed fat cysts. In this severe lesion, necrotic fat cells were partialy or completely replaced by macrophages. Multinucleated giant cells were scattered in this lesion. Interestingly, small artery in the lesion of fat necrosis revealed severe thickening of internal elastic membrane. Severe fibrosis was observed in or between the outer longitudinal and inner circular muscular externas causing segregation, degeneration and necrosis of muscle fibers. The nerve cells of Auerbach's and Meissner's plexuses surrounded by fibrosis were degenerated or necrotic. In addition, necrotic fat cells infiltrated into the pancreas, resulting in pancreas atrophy. From these results, it is speculated that fat necrosis might compromise intestinal movement due to necrosis of muscular externa and ganglion cells of Auerbach's and Meissner's plexuses.
