Rapid Review Laboratory Findings Flashcards
Paget disease of the breast (sign of underlying neoplasm)
Red, itchy, swollen rash of nipple/areola
Emphysema (“pink puffer,” centriacinar [tobacco smoking] or panacinar [α1 -antitrypsin deficiency])
Pink complexion, dyspnea, hyperventilation
Chronic bronchitis (hypertrophy and hyperplasia of mucus-secreting glands, “blue bloater”)
Hypoxemia, polycythemia, hypercapnia
Sarcoidosis (noncaseating granulomas)
Bilateral hilar adenopathy, uveitis
Cystic fibrosis (autosomal recessive mutation in CFTR gene -> fat-soluble vitamin deficiency and mucous plugs)
Colonies of Pseudomonas in lungs
Down syndrome
High β-hCG, low PAPP-A on first trimester screening
Vitamin B 12 deficiency
High serum homocysteine, high methylmalonic acid, low folate
Drug-induced lupus
Anti-histone antibodies
Thymic aplasia (DiGeorge syndrome, velocardiofacial syndrome)
Low T cells, low PTH, low Ca2+, absent thymic shadow on CXR
Optochin sensitivity
Sensitive: S pneumoniae; resistant: viridans streptococci
Novobiocin response
Sensitive: S epidermidis; resistant: S saprophyticus
Bacitracin response
Sensitive: S pyogenes (group A); resistant: S agalactiae (group B)
Ghon complex (1° TB: Mycobacterium bacilli)
Hilar lymphadenopathy
Peripheral granulomatous lesion in middle or lower lung lobes (can calcify)
Epiglottitis (Haemophilus influenzae)
“Thumb sign” on lateral neck x-ray
Chagas disease (Trypanosoma cruzi)
Dilated cardiomyopathy with apical atrophy, megacolon, megaesophagus
Infectious mononucleosis (EBV infection)
Atypical lymphocytes, heterophile antibodies
Croup (parainfluenza virus)
Narrowing of upper trachea and subglottis (Steeple sign) on x-ray
Negri bodies of rabies
Eosinophilic inclusion bodies in cytoplasm of hippocampal and cerebellar neurons
Psammoma bodies
Meningiomas
Papillary thyroid carcinoma
Mesothelioma
Papillary serous carcinoma of the endometrium and ovary
Tetralogy of Fallot (due to RVH)
“Boot-shaped” heart on x-ray
Coarctation of the aorta
Rib notching (inferior surface, on x-ray)
Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome (bundle of Kent bypasses AV node)
“Delta wave” on ECG, short PR interval, supraventricular tachycardia
Cardiac tamponade
Electrical alternans (alternating amplitude on ECG)
“Orphan Annie” eyes nuclei (papillary carcinoma of the thyroid)
Empty-appearing nuclei with central clearing of thyroid cells
Hyperparathyroidism or osteitis fibrosa cystica (deposited hemosiderin from hemorrhage gives brown color)
“Brown” tumor of bone
1° hyperaldosteronism (eg, Conn syndrome)
Hypertension, hypokalemia, metabolic alkalosis
Celiac disease (diarrhea, weight loss)
Anti-transglutaminase/anti-gliadin/anti-endomysial antibodies
“String sign” (Crohn disease)
Narrowing of bowel lumen on barium x-ray
Ulcerative colitis (loss of haustra)
“Lead pipe” appearance of colon on abdominal imaging
Familial adenomatous polyposis (autosomal dominant, mutation of APC gene)
Thousands of polyps on colonoscopy
Colorectal cancer (usually left-sided)
“Apple core” lesion on barium enema x-ray
Fatty liver disease (alcoholic or metabolic syndrome)
Triglyceride accumulation in liver cell vacuoles
Wilson disease (hepatolenticular degeneration; KayserFleischer rings due to copper accumulation)
Low serum ceruloplasmin
Megaloblastic anemia (vitamin B 12 deficiency: neurologic symptoms; folate deficiency: no neurologic symptoms)
Hypersegmented neutrophils
Sideroblastic anemias, thalassemias
Basophilic stippling of RBCs
Iron deficiency anemia, lead poisoning, thalassemia (fetal hemoglobin sometimes present)
Hypochromic, microcytic anemia
β-thalassemia, sickle cell anemia (marrow expansion)
“Hair on end” (“crew cut”) appearance on x-ray
Immune thrombocytopenia
Anti-GpIIb/IIIa antibodies
DVT, DIC
High level of d-dimers
Reed-Sternberg cells (Hodgkin lymphoma)
Giant B cells with bilobed nucleus with prominent inclusions (“owl’s eye”)
Rheumatoid arthritis (systemic inflammation, joint pannus, boutonniere and swan neck deformities)
IgM antibody that targets IgG Fc region
Pseudogout (calcium pyrophosphate dihydrate crystals)
Rhomboid crystals, ⊕ birefringent
Gout (monosodium urate crystals)
Needle-shaped, ⊝ birefringent crystals
Gout, Lesch-Nyhan syndrome, tumor lysis syndrome, loop and thiazide diuretics
High uric acid levels
Lewy body (Parkinson disease and Lewy body dementia
Eosinophilic cytoplasmic inclusion in neuron
Senile plaques (Alzheimer disease)
Extracellular amyloid deposition in gray matter of brain
Parkinson disease (basal ganglia disorder: rigidity, resting tremor, bradykinesia)
Depigmentation of neurons in substantia nigra
Neurofibrillary tangles (Alzheimer disease) and Pick bodies (Pick disease)
Protein aggregates in neurons from hyperphosphorylation of tau protein
Glomerulonephritis
RBC casts in urine
