{"id":1034,"date":"2016-08-22T11:28:25","date_gmt":"2016-08-22T03:28:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ww4.mywebsparks.com\/nus_pathweb\/?page_id=1034"},"modified":"2023-04-03T11:08:31","modified_gmt":"2023-04-03T03:08:31","slug":"glossary-of-gross-terms","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/medicine.nus.edu.sg\/pathweb\/pathology-demystified\/approach-to-gross-pathology\/glossary-of-gross-terms\/","title":{"rendered":"II. Glossary of Gross Terms"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\t

What are some gross descriptive terms I can use?<\/strong><\/p>\n

These terms can be used in describing diffuse or localised pathologies. Click on each of the tabs to see specific terms that can be used.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t1. Colours<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tExpand<\/i><\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t

What do colours indicate?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Tan<\/strong> – Many solid tumours are tan (beige to pale brown). This term is often used to describe the cut surface appearance of a solid tumour. This is one of our ‘favourite’ colours, particularly in very well fixed specimens! (In most specimens, you will be describing 50 shades of tan!)<\/p>\n

Pale<\/strong> – An area of lighter colour on a slightly darker background e.g. areas of pallor superimposed on a tan tumour often indicate coagulative necrosis. Areas of infarction in solid organs are often pale – e.g. wedge-shaped pale infarct in the kidney.\u00a0In a malignant tumour that grows rapidly and outstrips its blood supply, pale areas of necrosis may be seen within the tumour. (Go to the Practice<\/a>!<\/strong> page to see an example in a kidney.)<\/p>\n

Black<\/strong><\/p>\n

– Endogenous substances – e.g. blood – haemorrhagic areas are often dark brown to blackish. Melanin pigment is dark brown to blackish (hence a tumour mass that is blackish may represent a melanin-producing tumour, i.e. melanoma)<\/p>\n

– Exogenous substances – carbon (e.g. in the lung, or in hilar lymph nodes), tattoo pigment<\/p>\n

– Gangrene<\/p>\n

(Go to the Practice!<\/strong><\/a> page to see an example in a lung.)<\/p>\n

Green<\/strong><\/p>\n

– Processes involving bile accumulation, e.g. biliary cirrhosis, biliary obstruction, bile in the gallbladder<\/p>\n

Yellowish green<\/strong><\/p>\n

– Purulent material, e.g. abscess fluid, fibrinopurulent serosal exudates in acute appendicitis<\/p>\n

White<\/strong><\/p>\n

– Fibrosis, e.g. fibrous scar (may appear greyish white)<\/p>\n

– Cartilage<\/p>\n

– Fibrin, e.g. pale whitish areas in an arterial thrombus – lines of Zahn – whitish layers are platelets and fibrin<\/p>\n

– Chalky whitish deposits – calcifications, e.g. pancreatic fat necrosis<\/p>\n

Bright yellow<\/strong><\/p>\n

– Fat necrosis<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t2. Nature and Location of Pathology<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tExpand<\/i><\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t

Nature of localised lesions<\/strong><\/p>\n

Describing localised lesions depends on the organ that you are examining.<\/p>\n

Solid organs (e.g. liver, spleen, lung):<\/p>\n