Monday, August 22, 2011

My Pathology Final Exam

At the end of my first year of med student, we took a class called Pathology. I can't even say exactly what we learned in that class, but we spent a lot of time identifying organs and trying to determine if the white spot on the organ was due to ischemia or a tumor. I was correct about the white spot almost 50% of the time.

The practical portion of the pathology final exam was a multiple choice exam where we had to identify a bunch of organs and figure out what was wrong with them. It was a little like looking at an abstract art exhibit in that I had no freaking clue what anything was. I probably could have bubbled in the answers before walking into the room and gotten the same score.

The only saving grace was that I could tell from the blank (and terrified) looks on my classmates' faces that everyone was equally clueless.

At the end of the practical, there was an "extra credit" question. I remember looking at the organ and having absolutely zero idea what part of the body I was looking at, much less being able to hazzard a guess what was wrong with it. I remember exchanging baffled looks with the other students at the station with me and finally we all started snickering. "Good thing we have this extra credit," someone commented.

I attempted to find a photo online of that particular organ and I did find one that's a pretty good likeness. It's the wrong pathology, but I think it illustrates my point:



Yeah, what the hell is that thing?

34 comments:

  1. I have Robbins in front of me, and I'm still mystified.

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  2. I'm going to guess heart, it looks pretty muscular and there is some sort of vascular opening in the upper left. Then there are the petechae and splotchy things across it- I'm going to say pericarditis of some sort. This photo is super obtuse.

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  3. I know the photo isn't very clear, but believe me when I say that's exactly what it looked like.

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  4. Looks like a liver that has been cooked by my partner.

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  5. heavily ulcerated stomach? LES (w varices?) on the top right? Don't ask me where the rugae went... May make sense if that is the pylorus in the top left... whatever it is its gross!

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  6. Nobody's guess is even close.

    Don't worry about the pathology. Just tell me what organ it is.

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  7. I'm gonna go out on a limb and say spleen. Some spleen love.

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  8. Clearly this is a diaphragm overlaying the liver with the IVC in the upper right hand corner. The parietal surface is studded with plaques which could be due to mesothelioma, carcinomatosis, infection, or less likely fibrinous pleuritis.

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  9. Bladder

    word verification:
    mychirp

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  10. Its Admiral Ackbar from Star Wars before he's put on his moisturer

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  11. Anyone find it funny that 2nd year PRE MED knows "clearly" what it is? I am a surgical intern and I could make it out to anything and justify it to myself at this point.

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  12. i second aorta


    (2nd year premed)= college sophomore?

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  13. How big is it? I'd feel pretty silly guessing the earlobe if the pictured thing is eighteen inches across.

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  14. This is fibrinous pericardium suffering from pericarditis.

    Or, it is a satellite view of Mars.

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  15. From the thumbnail, I thought it was somehow a face. Ack!

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  16. I was gonna go with diaphragm... but now that someone has "clearly" ID'd it as such, I want to change my vote on principle.

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  17. Well, for shits and giggles, I am going to guess it is a penis (not in its normal state), but have no idea what the pathology is. Not even sure if I am in the ballpark.

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  18. Oh boy. I'm going to guess colon? Let's say crohn's? Something about that upper right hand corner reminds me of an ileocecal valve...

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  19. Okay, either the 2nd year pre-med student cheated with google image search, or we have a real-life Martha Masters on our hands (no, not the classical guitarist).

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  20. Just took a break from studying ischemia/infarct lectures from today for an exam next week. I am afraid, very afraid. Is "seriously messed up" good enough...lol?

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  21. The pre-med got it! It's the diaphragm.

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  22. LOL. You won't EVER use that knowledge again, unless you become a pathologist.

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  23. I honestly thought it was the heart... shame, beat by a pre-med student :P

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