AOBPa Pathology flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Coagulative necrosis

Necrosis with preservation of tissue architecture and eosinophilic, anucleate cells. It results from ischemia and is typical of myocardial, renal, and splenic infarction.

Caseous necrosis

A form of necrosis with a friable, cheese-like, structureless center surrounded by granulomatous inflammation. It is classically associated with tuberculosis and some fungal infections.

Apoptosis

Energy-dependent programmed cell death affecting single cells without inflammation. It shows chromatin condensation, nuclear fragmentation, and formation of apoptotic bodies cleared by macrophages.

Metaplasia

A reversible change in which one mature epithelial cell type is replaced by another, often in response to chronic irritation. Barrett esophagus is a classic example.

Anion gap formula

The anion gap equals sodium minus the sum of chloride and bicarbonate, normally about 8 to 12 mEq/L. An elevated gap suggests unmeasured anions such as ketones or lactate.

Corrected calcium formula

Corrected calcium equals measured calcium plus 0.8 times (4.0 minus serum albumin in g/dL). It estimates total calcium when albumin is abnormal.

Fractional excretion of sodium

FeNa equals urine sodium times plasma creatinine divided by plasma sodium times urine creatinine, times 100. Values below 1% suggest prerenal azotemia.

Reticulocyte index

A corrected reticulocyte percentage accounting for anemia severity and marrow maturation shift. A value above 2 indicates an appropriate marrow response to blood loss or hemolysis.

Frozen section indications

Intraoperative frozen section is used to assess surgical margins, confirm metastasis in lymph nodes, and identify tissue such as parathyroid. It is not used for routine diagnosis.

Positive surgical margin

A margin is positive when tumor cells reach the inked surgical resection surface. Close margins are reported with the measured distance in millimeters.

Tumor grading versus staging

Grading describes degree of differentiation, while staging describes anatomic extent of disease. Staging generally carries greater prognostic significance than grading.

Cautery artifact

Thermal injury from electrocautery produces stretched, hyperchromatic, distorted cells at surgical margins. This artifact can mimic malignancy and complicate frozen section interpretation.

Koilocyte

A squamous epithelial cell with a perinuclear halo and enlarged, hyperchromatic, wrinkled nucleus. It reflects human papillomavirus cytopathic effect and indicates low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion.

Bethesda System categories

Cervical cytology reporting categories include NILM, ASC-US, LSIL, ASC-H, HSIL, AGC, and carcinoma. The system standardizes reporting and guides management.

Fine-needle aspiration limitation

Fine-needle aspiration samples individual cells and small clusters, so it cannot reliably assess architectural invasion. Histologic tissue examination is required to confirm invasive disease.

Atypia of undetermined significance

A thyroid fine-needle aspiration category with roughly 5 to 15 percent malignancy risk. Management typically includes repeat aspiration or molecular testing.

Iron deficiency anemia profile

Iron deficiency produces microcytic anemia with low ferritin, elevated total iron-binding capacity, low transferrin saturation, and increased red cell distribution width.

Anemia of chronic disease profile

Chronic inflammation yields normocytic or microcytic anemia with low total iron-binding capacity, normal or high ferritin, and low transferrin saturation due to hepcidin-mediated iron sequestration.

Reed-Sternberg cell

A large binucleate cell with prominent nucleoli and a perinuclear halo. It is typically CD15 and CD30 positive and CD45 negative, characteristic of classic Hodgkin lymphoma.

Burkitt lymphoma translocation

Burkitt lymphoma characteristically carries t(8;14) involving MYC. Histology shows a starry-sky pattern with tingible body macrophages and a very high proliferation index.

Sanger sequencing

A chain-termination method that reads a single DNA amplicon base by base. It remains useful for confirming specific variants identified by high-throughput methods.

Fluorescence in situ hybridization

FISH uses fluorescently labeled probes to detect chromosomal translocations, amplifications, or deletions in interphase nuclei. It is commonly used for BCR-ABL1 and HER2 assessment.

Germline versus somatic variants

Germline variants are present in essentially all cells and may be inherited. Somatic variants arise within a tissue or tumor and are not transmitted to offspring.

Variant of uncertain significance

A genetic variant with insufficient evidence to classify as pathogenic or benign. Management should not be based on it alone, and periodic reclassification may occur.

Gram stain interpretation

Gram-positive cocci in clusters suggest Staphylococcus, while chains suggest Streptococcus. Gram-negative diplococci within neutrophils suggest Neisseria species.

Acid-fast stain

A stain that retains carbolfuchsin in mycolic acid-rich organisms such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis. It is used to identify mycobacteria in tissue and smears.

Caseating granuloma

A granuloma with a central area of caseous necrosis surrounded by epithelioid histiocytes and giant cells. It strongly suggests tuberculosis or certain fungal infections.

Negri bodies

Eosinophilic cytoplasmic inclusion bodies found in neurons infected by rabies virus. Their presence in hippocampal or Purkinje cells supports the diagnosis.

Somatic dysfunction

Impaired or altered function of related components of the somatic system, including skeletal, arthrodial, and myofascial structures and their vascular, lymphatic, and neural elements.

TART criteria

Tissue texture change, asymmetry, restriction of motion, and tenderness are the cardinal findings used to diagnose somatic dysfunction on physical examination.

Viscerosomatic reflex

Segmental somatic findings, such as tenderness or tissue texture change, that accompany visceral disease through shared sympathetic innervation. These reflexes can aid clinical localization.

Manipulation contraindication in malignancy

Osteopathic manipulative treatment is contraindicated over areas of unstable bone or acute bony destruction from metastasis. It is adjunctive and never replaces indicated oncologic therapy.