Abdominal Key

Systemic Vasculitis Carol A. Langford RAPID BOARD REVIEW—KEY POINTS TO REMEMBER: Vasculitis is defined by the presence of blood vessel inflammation. It is a histologic feature shared by a diverse…

Systemic Autoimmune Diseases Abby Abelson RAPID BOARD REVIEW—KEY POINTS TO REMEMBER: Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Complex autoimmune inflammatory disease that can affect virtually any organ system in the body, and the…

Chronic Arthritis Matthew P. Bunyard RAPID BOARD REVIEW—KEY POINTS TO REMEMBER: Chronic Noninflammatory Arthritis Osteoarthritis The affected joints are more painful with use and improve with rest. Some stiffness on…

Acute Monoarticular Arthritis Brian F. Mandell RAPID BOARD REVIEW—KEY POINTS TO REMEMBER: The distinction between crystal-induced and bacterial arthritis cannot be made reliably with studies from peripheral blood or from…

Palliative Medicine: What Every Internist Ought to Know Susan B. LeGrand POINTS TO REMEMBER: Palliative medicine may be given concurrently with disease-specific therapy. General internists should be able to provide…

Review of Cellular Morphology Karl S. Theil POINTS TO REMEMBER: Peripheral blood smear morphology should be interpreted in the context of clinical features. Review of the peripheral blood smear can…

Plasma Cell Disorders Frederic J. Reu POINTS TO REMEMBER: The terms “plasma cell disorders” or “plasma cell dyscrasias” are used interchangeably for a group of diseases characterized by transformation and…

Lymphoma Brad L. Pohlman POINTS TO REMEMBER: The diagnosis of lymphoma requires a tissue biopsy. Fine-needle aspiration is an inadequate biopsy technique to diagnose lymphoma; excisional lymph node biopsy is…

Breast Cancer Halle C. F. Moore POINTS TO REMEMBER: The estimated annual incidence of invasive breast cancer in the United States is in the range of 200,000 per year, and…