Pathology Student

Marfan syndrome, my uncle, and Abraham Lincoln

I have an uncle with Marfan syndrome, and he was kind enough to let me take a couple photos to show some little hand tests you can do to check for Marfan syndrome. (more…)

A 59 year-old male with a 4 cm cerebral mass

A 59 year-old male presents with severe headaches and fatigue of several months’ duration. A 4 cm, poorly-defined, necrotic left cerebral mass is found on CT and is subsequently biopsied.
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Embolus vs. thrombus

Here are a few very good questions about CNS infarcts. There are two types of CNS infarcts: red (hemorrhagic) and pale (ischemic). (more…)

A 67 year-old female with fatigue and splenomegaly

A 67 year-old female presents with fatigue and marked splenomegaly. After further workup, a bone marrow biopsy is performed, and cytogenetic analysis of the aspirate reveals a Jak-2 mutation. Her blood smear is shown here.
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How do heparin and Coumadin affect the coagulation cascade?

Q. I have a question about the coagulation lab tests. I saw that an increased PT would result from Coumadin and Heparin. (more…)

A 72 year-old male with a deep calf mass

A 72 year-old male presents with an ill-defined, deep-seated mass in his right calf. It has grown appreciably in the past few months and is now roughly the size of a golf ball. A core biopsy is performed, and a representative section is shown here.
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Female reproductive pathology quiz

Here’s a little quiz on female reproductive (and breast) pathology. Answers and explanations are posted at the bottom. (more…)

Test yourself on heart pathology with this multiple choice question

See if you can solve this before scrolling down to see the answer and explanation!

A 20-year-old male died suddenly and unexpectedly while playing basketball. (more…)

How does the ESR work?

Q. Could you please explain the ESR?

A. The erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), also called a sedimentation rate or sed rate, is a test that is performed by putting blood in a tube (more…)

BOOP

Q. I wonder if you could help me a bit with an unusual case of pneumonia. Our patient is a 56-year-old male with who woke up one morning with dyspnea, fever and chest pain. (more…)