Which type of necrosis involves cell swelling and organelle breakdown?

Liquefactive necrosis is characterized by the transformation of tissue into a liquid viscous mass. This process typically involves cell swelling followed by the breakdown of cellular organelles and the eventual release of cellular components into the extracellular space. It often results from severe inflammation or infection, where the body's immune response leads to the accumulation of pus—a mixture of dead cells, bacteria, and immune cells.

In contrast, coagulative necrosis is commonly associated with ischemia or infarction, where cellular architecture is preserved for a while, and there is protein denaturation without significant lysis. Caseous necrosis is a specific type of coagulative necrosis often related to tuberculosis infection, resulting in a cheese-like (caseous) appearance, but it does not primarily involve cell swelling and organelle breakdown in the same manner as liquefactive necrosis. Fat necrosis involves the breakdown of adipose tissue and often results from enzymatic digestion, typically associated with pancreatitis or trauma to fatty tissue, and thus does not follow the same mechanisms of cell swelling and organelle breakdown that are evident in liquefactive necrosis.