Splenic pathology — Flashcards

Flashcard 1: Which hematologic complication arises from Echinococcus granulosus infection?_____

Answer: Eosinophilia

Flashcard 2: Identify the causes or mechanisms of splenomegaly for the following categories: - Inflammatory infiltration - Myeloproliferative disorder - Passive splenic congestion - Presence of circulating immune complexes - Red pulp hyperplasia - Undegraded metabolite accumulation

Answer: - Inflammatory infiltration: Chronic infections (e.g., tuberculosis, malaria). - Myeloproliferative disorder: Examples include Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML) and Primary Myelofibrosis. - Passive splenic congestion: Portal hypertension (e.g., cirrhosis), splenic vein thrombosis, or congestive heart failure. - Presence of circulating immune complexes: Classically seen in Infective Endocarditis. - Red pulp hyperplasia: Removal of defective/deformed RBCs (e.g., Hereditary Spherocytosis, Pyruvate Kinase deficiency). - Undegraded metabolite accumulation: Lysosomal storage diseases such as Niemann-Pick disease and Gaucher disease (accumulation of sphingomyelin and glucocerebroside, respectively).

Flashcard 3: One hematological pathology that is due to abnormal splicing variants is _____

Answer: β-thalassemia

Extra: β-thalassemia is often caused by point mutations in promoter sequences or **splice sites** (leading to abnormal splicing variants). In contrast, α-thalassemia is primarily caused by gene deletions.

Flashcard 4: Myelofibrosis is often associated with massive _____ due to extramedullary hematopoiesis

Answer: splenomegaly

Flashcard 5: Spherocytes are less able to maneuver through splenic sinusoids and are thus consumed by _____

Answer: splenic macrophages

Flashcard 6: What finding emerges on blood smear following splenectomy in a patient with hereditary spherocytosis? _____

Answer: Howell-Jolly bodies

Flashcard 7: Most common type of testicular lymphoma?

Answer: Diffuse Large B-cell Lymphoma (DLBCL) is the most common; often represents dissemination from an occult primary site.

Extra: - Most common testicular tumor in men aged >60.\n- Highly aggressive; prognosis is generally poor.\n- Bilateral involvement is common (most common bilateral testicular tumor).

Flashcard 8: What kinds of tissue samples can be used for karyotyping?

Answer: blood, bone marrow, amniotic fluid, placental tissue