Pathology Student

Medulloblastoma: a nasty tumor with a silver lining

Today, we’ll move on to a new group of tumors of the CNS now: poorly-differentiated tumors.

Ependymoma: Danger in the fourth ventricle

Today we’ll talk about the last glioma: ependymoma. (more…)

Oligodendroglioma: -1p + -19q = good prognosis

Moving on in our in our brain tumor series (check out the overview, astrocytoma, and pilocytic astrocytoma posts), today we’ll talk about oligodendroglioma. (more…)

Pilocytic astrocytoma: the astrocytoma with good manners

In case you just joined us, we’re doing a series on brain tumors (so far we’ve had an overview and a look at astrocytoma). (more…)

Astrocytoma: the most common adult brain tumor

We’ll start out our little series on brain tumors with astrocytomas, the most common type of brain tumor in adults (accounting for 80% of all primary brain tumors in adults). (more…)

Brain tumors in 300 words or less

I’ve gotten a few requests through Twitter for posts on neuropathology. (more…)

We’re on iBooks!

Finally – after jumping through a LOT of hoops, The Complete Hematopathology Guide is now on iBooks. (more…)

Q. I had some confusion on why the PT, PTT, and TT are prolonged in disseminated intravascular coagulation. Intuitively I thought they might be shorter because everything is already present and turned on due to the constant state of coagulation, but the only way I can think it might be prolonged would be that are the factors being used up which then shows up as a long PT, PTT and TT? If you could just clarify that for me that would be great.

A. Yes! That’s exactly why they are prolonged! In disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) there’s a ton of clotting going on – so the platelets and coag factors are getting used up. As the coag factors get used up, the PT (prothrombin time), PTT (partial thromboplastin time) and TT (thrombin time) go up. You also see increased FDPs (fibrin degradation products) – but that’s an incredibly sensitive test, best used for other purposes.

By the way, Ed’s Pathology Notes has a way to remember the seriousness of DIC – he calls it “Death is Coming.”