Spleen

This is a low power view of the spleen. On the outer edge, note the presence of a capsule from which short trabeculae (containing a trabecular artery and trabecular vein) extend into the parenchyma. In contrast to the other organs we have seen so far, the spleen is not arranged into cortex and medulla. Instead, the majority of the spleen consists of well-vascularized red pulp (pale-stained due to lower cell density) with white pulp (lymphoid aggregations) scattered throughout. Note the presence of sinuses within the red pulp.