Exam 1: Intro to Pathology Flashcards
1
Q
Pathology
Types
A
- Anatomic pathology
- Clinical pathology
2
Q
Anatomic Pathology
Subdivisions
A
- Surgical pathology
- Cytology (“Cytopathology”)
- Autopsy pathology
3
Q
Surgical Pathology
Overview
A
-
Gross examination of tissues for abnormalities
- From tiny biopsies to large resections
- Select areas for histological sampling
- Slides stained with H&E and assessed
4
Q
Surgical Pathology
Questions
A
- Pathologic process present?
- Inflammatory, neoplastic, other?
- Specific process?
- Amount of tissue affected?
- Clear resection margins?
- Infiltration of surrounding tissue?
5
Q
Surgical Pathology
Specimen Processing
A
-
Permanent section
- Requires overnight processing
- More accurate and reliable
-
Frozen section
- Takes 15-20 minutes
- Only done when answer needed during surgery ⇒ dx affects management
- Preliminary only
- Introduces artifact ⇒ compromises dx somewhat
6
Q
Surgical Pathology
Adjuncts
A
- Immunohistochemistry
- Flow cytometry
- Electron microscopy
- Immunofluorescence
- Molecular pathology
7
Q
Immunohistochemistry
A
- Tissue incubated with Ab for specific Ag
- Chromogen added to visualize rxn
- Gives info about cell products, receptors, or content
- Serves as a “tumor marker”
- Used to determine origin of cells
8
Q
Electron Microscopy
A
- Rarely used
- Routinely obtained on kidney biopsies where renal disease suspected
- Can see electron dense deposits
- Helps with disease classification
9
Q
Flow Cytometry
A
- Process
- Sample from fresh tissue or fluid specimen
- Cells tagged with fluorescent dye
- Cells sorted and counted
- Applications
- Measure amount of DNA in a cell
- Haploid, diploid, polypoid, aneuploid?
- Test for presence and relative amounts of cells
- Useful for lymphoma classification
- Measure amount of DNA in a cell
10
Q
Immunofluorescence
A
- Process
- Frozen sections + Ab + fluorescent dyes
- Visualized under fluorecent microscope
- Applications
- Demonstrate immunoglobulin and complement in tissue sections
- Evaluate immune-mediated diseases
- Kidneys, blood vessels, skin common
- See different patterns of distribution
11
Q
Molecular Diagnostics
A
- Test specimens for specific markers
- Use increased over the past 10 years
- Routine for many conditions
- Can influence treatment and prognosis
- Ex. lung cancer & markers like EGFR, KRAS, PDL-1
12
Q
Cytology
Overview
A
- Examination of cells
- Papanicolau stain ⇒ default
- Uses many similar adjuncts to surgical pathology
13
Q
Cytology
Cell Sources
A
-
Exfolative Cytology
- Cells shed from a surface into fluid or gently scraped from epithelial surface
-
Fine needle aspiration
- Cells forcibly removed by aspiration using a small bore needle
14
Q
Exfoliative Cytology
A
- Gynecologic ⇒ PAP smears
- Pulmonary ⇒ sputum, bronchial brush/wash
- Urinary ⇒ urine, bladder wash, ureter brush/wash
- Cutaneous ⇒ skin scrape of blister/rash
- Eye ⇒ conjunctival smear
- Body fluids ⇒ pleural fluid, pericardial fluid, peritoneal fluid, CSF, joint fluid
15
Q
Fine Needle Aspiration
(FNA)
A
- Simple, rapid, accurate, and cost effective
- Minimal morbidity and mortality
- Can be applied to virtually any part of the body