Practice Test GeeksAmerican Board of Pathology (ABPath) Practice Test
← All ABPATH Flashcard Decks

Gastrointestinal Pathology Flashcards

6 cards from real ABPATH practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.

Read the first 6 Gastrointestinal Pathology flashcards as text

  1. Whipple disease is caused by which organism and is confirmed by which stain?

    Answer: Tropheryma whipplei; PAS stain

    Whipple disease is caused by Tropheryma whipplei; foamy macrophages containing the organism in the lamina propria stain positive with PAS (periodic acid-Schiff).

  2. Celiac disease (gluten-sensitive enteropathy) is characterized by which histologic triad?

    Answer: Villous atrophy, crypt hyperplasia, intraepithelial lymphocytosis

    The classic triad of celiac disease is villous atrophy, crypt hyperplasia, and intraepithelial lymphocytosis (>25 IELs per 100 enterocytes) on duodenal biopsy.

  3. Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are MOST commonly driven by activating mutations in which gene?

    Answer: KIT (CD117)

    Approximately 80–85% of GISTs harbor activating mutations in KIT (CD117), with PDGFRA mutations in most KIT-wild-type cases; imatinib targets these kinases.

  4. Which feature of appendiceal carcinoid (well-differentiated neuroendocrine tumor) is MOST strongly associated with metastatic potential?

    Answer: Tumor size >2 cm

    Appendiceal carcinoids >2 cm have a significantly higher risk of metastasis (up to 30%), while tumors <2 cm rarely metastasize (<2%).

  5. Pseudomembranous colitis caused by Clostridioides difficile is histologically characterized by:

    Answer: Volcanic eruption pattern with fibrinopurulent caps over crypts

    C. difficile colitis shows the classic 'volcano lesion' — a pseudomembrane of fibrin, mucin, and neutrophils erupting from damaged crypts like a volcanic plume.

  6. Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is MOST strongly associated with which bowel disease?

    Answer: Ulcerative colitis

    PSC is associated with ulcerative colitis in approximately 70–80% of cases; patients with both conditions have elevated risk for cholangiocarcinoma and colorectal cancer.