Collection of 100+ important findings that are high yield for a medical student. This is important for USMLE Step 1 or other equivalent exams.
| 2 types of COPD |
Pink Puffer è Type A: Emphysema Blue Bloater è Type B: Bronchitis Emphysema- Centroacinar-smoking; Panacinar – α1-antitrypsin deficiency |
| 45 Degree Branch Points |
Aspergillosis |
| Acanthocytes |
RBSc w/ spiny projections. Seen in Abetalipoproteinemia. |
| Albumino-Cytologic Dissociation |
Guillain-Barre (markedly increased protein in CSF with only modest increase in cell count) |
| Antiplatelet Antibodies |
Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura |
| Arachnodactyly |
Marfan’s |
| Aschoff Bodies |
Rheumatic fever |
| Auer Rods |
Acute promyelocytic leukemia (AML type M3) |
| Autosplenectomy |
Sickle cell anemia: switch a glu ! val in β chain Low O2 ↑ sickling Aplastic crisis w/ B19 (Parvovirus ssDNA) infection Salmonella osteomyelitis Vaso-occlusive painful crisises Hydroxyurea as Txt (↑ HbF) & Bone marrow transplant |
| Babinski |
UMN lesion |
| Basophilic Stippling of RBCs |
Lead poisoning |
| Bence Jones Protein |
Multiple myeloma free light chains (either kappa or lambda) Waldenstrom’s macroglobinemia |
| Birbeck Granules |
Histiocytosis X (eosinophilic granuloma) |
| Blue Bloater |
Chronic Bronchitis (at least 3 months for at least 2 years of ecessive mucus secretion & chronic |
| Boot-Shaped Heart |
Tetralogy of Fallot |
| Both Sensory & Motor Lesion |
Brown Sequard; Anterior Spinal artery Occlusion |
| Both UMN & LMN Lesion |
ALS = Lou Gherig’s Disease |
| Bouchard’s Nodes |
Osteoarthritis (Proximal IP joint of the fingers) |
| Boutonniere’s Deformity |
Rheumatoid arthritis flex proximal & extend distal IP joints |
| Brown Tumor |
Hyperparathyroidism |
| Brushfield Spots |
Down’s |
| Call-Exner Bodies |
Granulosa cell tumor: associated w/ endometrial hyperplasia & carcinoma Granuloma-Theca cell tumor |
| Cardiomegaly with Apical Atrophy |
Chagas Disease |
| Chancre |
1° Syphilis |
| Chancroid |
Haemophilus ducreyi |
| Charcot Triad |
Multiple sclerosis = nystagmus, intention tremor, scanning speech |
| Charcot-Leyden Crystals |
Bronchial asthma |
| Cheyne-Stokes Breathing |
Cerebral lesion |
| Chocolate Cysts |
Endometriosis |
| Chvostek’s Sign |
Hypocalcemia facial spasm in tetany |
| Clue Cells |
Gardnerella vaginitis |
| Codman’s Triangle |
Osteosarcoma |
| Cold Agglutinins |
Mycoplasma pneumoniae Infectious mononucleosis |
| Condyloma Lata |
2° Syphilis |
| Congo Red |
Shows amyloid deposition in plaques & vascular walls |
| Cotton Wool Spots |
HTN; Aka, cytoid bodies seen w/ SLE (yellowish cotton wool fundal lesions) |
| Councilman Bodies |
Dying hepatocytes HepB |
| Cowdry A Inclusions |
Seen w/ Herpes Simplex Encephalitis in oligodendroglia |
| Crescents |
Goodpastures syndrome (pneumonia w/ hemoptysis & rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis) |
| Crescents In Bowman’s Capsule |
Rapidly progressive (crescentic glomerulonephritis) |
| Cuneocerebellar tr. |
Unconscious proprioception & fine motor movements of upper extremities |
| Currant-Jelly Sputum |
Klebsiella |
| Curschmann’s Spirals |
Bronchial asthma |
| Depigmentation Of Substantia Nigra |
Parkinson’s |
| Devic’s Syndrome |
Neuromyelitis Optica; A variant of multiple sclerosis: rapid demyelination of the optic nerve & spinal cord w/ paraplegia |
| Donovan Bodies |
Granuloma inguinale (STD) |
| Dorsal Column |
Conscious proprioception of the body |
| Dorsal Spinocerebellar tr. |
Unconscious prorpioception & fine motor movements |
| Eburnation |
Osteoarthritis (polished, ivory-like appearance of bone) |
| Ectopia Lentis |
Marfan’s |
| Erythema Chronicum Migrans |
Lyme Disease |
| Fatty Liver |
Alcoholism |
| Ferruginous Bodies |
Asbestosis – & Iron laden |
| Foster-Kennedy Syndrome |
A tumor causing blindness & loss of smell w/ papilloedema |
| Ghon Focus / Complex |
Tuberculosis (1° & 2°, respectively) |
| Glitter Cells |
Acute Pyelonephritis |
| Gower’s Maneuver |
Duchenne’s MD use of arms to stand |
| Ground Glass Appearance (Hyaline) |
Seen w/ Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy oligodendrocytes; Nuclei seen in Papillary CA of the thyroid (malignant) |
| Heberden’s Nodes |
Osteoarthritis (Distal IP joint of the fingers) |
| Heinz Bodies |
G6PDH Deficiency |
| Heterophil Antibodies |
Infectious mononucleosis (EBV) |
| Hirano Bodies |
Alzheimer’s |
| Hoffman’s Sign |
Flicking of the middle finger’s nail |
| Honey Combing of the lung |
Seen w/ Asbestosis (a restrictive lung disease) |
| Hypersegmented PMNs |
Megaloblastic anemia |
| Hypochromic Microcytic RBCs |
Iron-deficiency anemia or β Thalassemia |
| Jarisch-Herxheimer Reaction |
Syphilis over-aggressive treatment of an asymptomatic pt. that causes symptoms 2° to rapid lysis |
| Joint Mice |
Osteoarthritis (fractured osteophytes) |
| Kaussmaul Breathing |
Acidosis / Diabetic Ketoacidosis |
| Keratin Pearls |
Squamous Cell CA of skin Actinic Keratosis is a precursor |
| Keyser-Fleischer Ring |
Wilson’s |
| Kimmelstiel-Wilson Nodules |
Diabetic nephropathy: Nodular Glomerulosclerosis nodules of mesangial matrix |
| Koilocytes |
HPV 6 & 11 (condyloma acuminatum – benign) and HPV 16 & 18 (malignant association) |
| Koplik Spots |
Measles |
| LMN Lesion |
Werndig Hoffman (progressive infantile muscular atrophy); Poliomyelitis |
| Lateral Spinothalamic tr. |
Pain & Temperature sensation |
| Lewy Bodies |
Parkinson’s (eosinophilic inclusions in damaged substantia nigra cells) |
| Linear Ig Deposits |
Goodpastures syndrome |
| Lines of Zahn |
Arterial thrombus |
| Lisch Nodules |
Neurofibromatosis (von Recklinhausen’s disease) = pigmented iris hamartomas |
| Lumpy-Bumpy IF Glomeruli |
Poststreptococcal glomerulonephritis prototype of nephritic syndrome |
| Mallory Bodies |
Alcoholic hepatitis |
| Mamillary Body |
Can have hemorrhages as seen in Wernicke’s Encephalopathy |
| McBurney’s Sign |
Appendicitis (McBurney’s Point is 2/3 of the way from the umbilicus to anterior superior iliac spine) |
| Meningiomas & Progesterone |
Some meningiomas have Progesterone receptors = rapid growth in pregnancy can occur |
| Michealis-Gutmann Bodies |
Malakoplakia lesion on bladder due to macros & calcospherites (M-G Bodies): usually due to E. Coli |
| Monoclonal Antibody Spike |
Multiple myeloma this is called the M protein (usually IgG or IgA); MGUS |
| Myxedema |
Hypothyroidism |
| Negri Bodies |
Rabies |
| Neuritic Plaques |
Alzheimer’s |
| Neurofibrillary Tangles |
Alzheimer’s |
| Non-pitting Edema |
Myxedema; Anthrax Toxin |
| Notching of Ribs |
Coarctation of Aorta |
| Nutmeg Liver |
CHF = causing congested liver |
| Owls Eye Cells |
CMV; Reed Sternburg Cells (Hodkins Lymphoma); Aschoff cells seen w/ Rheumatic Fever |
| PAS(+) Dutcher Bodies |
Waldenstrom’s Macroglobulinemia = ↑IgM = Hyperviscosity |
| Painless Jaundice |
Pancreatic CA (head) |
| Pannus |
Rheumatoid arthritis, also see morning stiffnes that ↓ w/ joint use, HLA-DR4 |
| Pautrier’s Microabscesses |
Mycosis fungoides (cutaneous T-cell lymphoma), Sezary |
| Philadelphia Chromosome |
CML |
| Pick Bodies |
Pick’s Disease |
| Podagra |
Gout (MP joint of hallux) |
| Port-Wine Stain |
Hemangioma |
| Posterior Anterior Drawer Sign |
Tearing of the ACL |
| Psammoma Bodies |
Papillary adenocarcinoma of the thyroid Serous papillary cystadenocarcinoma of the ovary Meningioma Mesothelioma |
| Pseudohypertrophy |
Seen w/ Duchenne muscular dystrophy @ the claf muscles, due to ↑ fat |
| Punched-Out Bone Lesions |
Multiple myeloma |
| Rash on Palms & Soles |
2° Syphilis; RMSF; Coxsackie virus infection: Hand-Foot-Mouth Disease |
| Red Morning Urine |
Paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria. You would use Ham’s test to confirm. |
| Red Nucleus Destruction |
Intention tremors of the arm |
| Reed-Sternberg Cells |
Hodgkin’s Disease |
| Reid Index Increased |
Chronic bronchitis = ↑d ratio of bronchial gland to bronchial wall thickness |
| Reinke Crystals |
Leydig cell tumor |
| Rouleaux Formation |
Multiple myeloma RBC’s stacked as poker chips |
| S3 Heart Sound |
L→R Shunt (VSD, PDA, ASD); Mitral Regurg; LV Failure |
| S4 Heart Sound |
Pulmonary Stenosis; Pulmonary HTN |
| Schwartzman Reaction |
Neisseria meningitidis impressive rash with bugs |
| Sensory Pathway Lesion |
Subacute Combined Degeneration = Friedrich’s Ataxia = B12 deficiency; Tabes Dorsalis (Neurosyphilis |
| Smith Antigen |
SLE (also anti-dsDNA); Malar Rash, Wire loop kidney lesions, Joint pain, False (+) syphilis test (VDRL); 90% 14-45 yo females; also seen w/ use of INH; Procainamide; Hydralazine = SLE-like syndrome |
| Soap Bubble on X-Ray |
Giant cell tumor of bone |
| Spike & Dome Glomeruli |
Membranous glomerulonephritis = Nephrotic syndrome Spike = basement membrane material & Dome = immune complex deposits (IgG orC3) |
| String Sign on X-ray |
Crohn’s bowel wall thickening |
| Suprachiasmatic Nucleus |
Controls circadian rhythm |
| Target Cells |
Thalassemia in α Thalassemia w/ no α gene: Hydrops Fetalis & Intrauterine death associations = HbBarts |
| Tendinous Xanthomas |
Familial Hypercholesterolemia |
| Thyroidization of Kidney |
Chronic pyelonephritis |
| Tophi |
Gout |
| Tram-Track Glomeruli |
Membranoproliferative GN: Nephritic syndrome basement membrane is duplicated into 2 layers |
| Trousseau’s Sign |
Visceral ca, classically pancreatic (migratory thrombophlebitis); Hypocalcemia (carpal spasm); These are two entirely different disease processes and different signs, but they unfortunately have the same name. |
| Tuberous Sclerosis Triad |
Seizures; Mental retardation; Leukoderma (congenital facial white spots or macules): angiofibromas |
| Ventral Spinocerebellar tr. |
Unconscious proprioception of lower extremities |
| Ventral Spinothalamic tr. |
Light touch perception |
| Virchow’s Node |
Supraclavicular node enlargement by metastatic carcinoma of the stomach |
| WBC Casts |
Pyelonephritis |
| Warthin-Finkeldey Giant Cells |
Measles |
| Whipple’s Triad |
CNS disfunction Hypoglycemic episodes glu injection reverses CNS Sympt’s |
| Wire Loop Glomeruli |
Lupus nephropathy, type IV (diffuse proliferative form) |
| c-erb B2 |
Breast Cancer association |
| Ground Glass in Abdomen(Hyaline) |
Seen in the hepatocytes of healthy carriers of HBsAg in liver biopsies |
| Ground Glass on chest x-ray (Hyaline) |
Due to Pneumocystis carinii; Seen w/ Atelectasia |
| Signet Ring |
Cells that replace the ovaries, due to Krukenberg’s tumor that has metastasized from the stomach |
Keywords:
hallmark findings, high yield findings, pathology, pathoma, must know for medical students, usmle review, usmle preparations, usmle high yield topics
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