Gross pathology

Gross pathology, also simply gross, refers to the macroscopic pathology, and the macroscopic assessment of pathology specimens. It may include preparation of tissue for a microscopic examination. It is an essential part of pathologic assessments.

Gross only

Which specimens are "gross only" typically depends on institutional policy.

Gross spot diagnosis

Heart

Heart valve:

• Infective endocarditis.
• Bicuspid aortic valve.
• Nonbacterial thrombotic endocarditis - non-distructive.
• Rheumatic heart disease - fish mouth valve, thick cordae tendinae.
• Calcific aortic stenosis.

Heart - other:

• Fibrinous pericarditis.
• Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy - septal thickness > free wall thickness.
• Cardiac hypertrophy.
• Dilated cardiomyopathy.
• Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy.

Cardiovascular

• Aortic dissection.
• Aortic rupture.
• Cerebral aneurysm.

Lungs

• Pulmonary thromboembolism.
• Lung abscess.
• Lung tumour (primary).
• Metatstatic tumour lung - usu. multiple and peripheral.
• Malignant mesothelioma.
• Pleural plaques.
• Emphysema.
• Pneumothorax.
• Hemothorax.
• Hypoplasia secondary to diaphragmatic hernia.

Gastrointestinal pathology

Esophagus:

• Squamous cell carcinoma - mid esophagus classically.
• Adenocarcinoma - distal esophagus.
• Barrett's esophagus.
• Esophageal varices.
• Esophageal perforation.

Stomach:

• Malignant gastric ulcer.
• Peptic ulcer.
• Gastric antral vascular ectasia.
• Leopard spots - seen in hypothermia.
• GIST.

Duodenum:

• Peptic ulcer.
• Duodenal adenocarcinoma - classically assoc. with FAP.

Liver:

• Cirrhosis.
• Hydatid cyst.
• Hepatocellular carcinoma - in the context of cirrhosis.
• Metastases.
• Hemangioma.
• Focal nodular hyperplasia.
• Hepatic adenoma.
• Cholangiocarcinoma.
• Congestive hepatopathy (nutmeg liver) - seen in congestive heart failure.
• Hepatic infarct - classically at the periphery, red and wedge-shaped.

Gallbladder:

• Cholelithiasis.
• Cholesterolosis of the gallbladder.
• Gallbladder polyp.

Pancreas:

• Solid pseudopapillary neoplasm - with age & sex provided.
• Pancreatic adenocarcinoma.
• Neuroendocrine tumour.
• Chronic pancreatitis.

Small bowel:

• Ischemic small bowel.
• Meckel's diverticulum.
• Intussusception.
• Neuroendocrine tumour - if on section.
• GIST.
• Incarcerated hernia.

Appendix:

• Acute appendicitis.
• Neuroendocrine tumour.
• Mucinous tumour.

Large bowel:

• Colorectal adenocarcinoma.
• Bowel infarction.
• Ulcerative colitis - no skip lesions, no wall thickening.
• Crohn's disease - creeping fat, cobble stone pattern, skip lesions, fistulas.
• Pseudomembranous colitis.

Gynecologic pathology

Ovary:

• Mucinous tumour.
• Mature teratoma.
• Serous cystadenoma.
• Brenner tumour - may be yellow, typically solid.

Uterine tube:

• Ectopic pregnancy.
• Tubal abscess.

Uterus:

• Adenomyosis.
• Leiomyoma - multiple.
• Endometrial carcinoma.
• Leiomyosarcoma - friable, solitary, fish flesh.

Uterine cervix:

• Cervical carcinoma.

Dermatopathology

Tumour:

• Basal cell carcinoma.
• Squamous cell carcinoma.
• Malignant melanoma.

Possible syndromic:

• Seborrheic keratosis - Leser–Trélat sign
• Neurofibroma - neurofibromatosis.
• Angiofibroma - Fabry disease.

Neuropathology

Bleeds:

• Epidural hematoma
• Subdural hematoma.
• Subarachnoid hematoma - berry aneurysm.
• Intracerebral hematoma.

Tumours:

• Meningioma - intradural, extramedullary.
• Glioma.
• Schwannoma - cerebellopontine angle.
• Myxopapillary ependymoma - filum terminale.

Non-tumour:

• Diffuse axonal injury - classically corpus callosum.
• Fat embolism.
• Cerebral contusion.
  • Plaque jaune.

Genitourinary pathology

Kidney:

• Clear cell renal cell carcinoma - yellow.
• Papillary renal cell carcinoma - friable.
• Chromophobe renal cell carcinoma - brown +/-hemorrhage, no central scar.
• Renal oncocytoma - brown, central scar.
• Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease.
• Angiomyolipoma - fat.

Testis:

• Seminoma.
• Mixed germ cell tumour.
• Leydig cell tumour - brown.
• Testicular torsion.

Paratesticular:

• Liposarcoma.

Placenta

Membranes:

• Marginal inserion - normal.
• Circumvallate insertion.
• Circummarginate insertion.

Disc:

• Retroplacental blood clot - suggestive of placental abruption.
• Chorangioma - big red intraparenchymal.
• Placental infarct - white = old, red = recent.
• Twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome - one side beefy red the other pale.
• Meconium staining/chorioamnionitis.

Cord:

• Two vessel umbilical cord.
• False knot.
• True knot.
• Membranous insertion (AKA velamentous insertion).
• Furcate insertion - vessels separate before inserting.

Fetal

• Amniotic band syndrome.

Genetic:

• Down syndrome.
• Edwards syndrome.
• Patau syndrome.
• Turner syndrome.

See also

• Basics.

External links

• Old (black & white) gross pathology (artandmedicine.com).