Measuring the Efficacy of Pathology Career Recruitment Strategies in US Medical Students.

CONTEXT.­: Multiple articles and surveys in the literature suggest that medical students find a career in pathology undesirable and believe it is disproportionately focused primarily on the autopsy. OBJECTIVE.­: To measure the effect of applied interventions on medical student attitudes about the field of pathology. DESIGN.­: This prospective study involving medical students from first through fourth year was conducted as a pilot study in 2 medical schools in the United States. A 2-part anonymous survey regarding interest in pathology as a career and familiarity with the specialty using a 10-point scale was given to first- and second-year medical students before and after they listened to a 10-minute pathology career presentation. The same survey was given to third- and fourth-year medical students before and after a 4-week pathology elective. RESULTS.­: A total of 121 and 83 students responded to the survey before and after the intervention, respectively. Of the 121 students who responded to the survey before the intervention, 106 (87.6%) had not spent significant time in a pathology laboratory before the intervention. The majority of responses in interest in career, job responsibilities, and features of pathologists before and after the intervention demonstrated a statistically significant difference (P < .001). We compared survey scores of presentation versus 4-week rotation groups before and after the intervention. Students who experienced the presentation did not differ from students who experienced the rotation in the majority of questions related to interest in career, job responsibilities, and features of pathologists. CONCLUSIONS.­: Our study suggests that pathology exposure strategies can have a beneficial effect on student perceptions of the field and consideration of a career in pathology. Overall, the presentation intervention seemed to have the greatest effect on the first- and second-year students.

Mesenteric Arteriovenous Dysplasia/Vasculopathy Mimicking Crohn's Disease: A Case Report.

Mesenteric arteriovenous vasculopathy (MAVD/V) is an extremely rare and poorly understood disease and its incidence is probably underestimated. It is an uncommon, non-inflammatory and non-atherosclerotic form of mesenteric vascular injury, first reported in 2016, with characteristic histopathologic evidence of fibromuscular dysplasia-like vascular changes. We present the case of a chronically ill 84-year-old female with a 5 year history of recurrent small bowel obstruction, who underwent segmental resection of the small bowel. Intraoperative examination showed bowel stricture with fibrosis, intraluminal pill fragments and creeping mesenteric adipose tissue clinically compatible with Crohn's disease. Histological examination showed acute and chronic mucosal injury characterized by crypt distortion, ulcerations with granulation tissue, pseudo-pyloric metaplasia, areas of fibrosis and serosal adhesions. Multiple blood vessels (including both veins and arteries) demonstrated wall hyalinization, elastic degeneration and non-atherosclerotic luminal occlusion. The pattern of the mucosal injury is, in this case, potentially a consequence of acute and chronic ischemic processes secondary to mesenteric arteriovenous vasculopathy.

Mesenteric Arteriovenous Dysplasia/Vasculopathy Mimicking Crohn's Disease: A Case Report / Displasia arteriovenosa mesentérica/vasculopatía mimetizante de enfermedad de Crohn: reporte de un caso

Mesenteric arteriovenous vasculopathy (MAVD/V) is an extremely rare and poorly understood disease and its incidence is probably underestimated. It is an uncommon, non-inflammatory and non-atherosclerotic form of mesenteric vascular injury, first reported in 2016, with characteristic histopathologic evidence of fibromuscular dysplasia-like vascular changes. We present the case of a chronically ill 84-year-old female with a 5 year history of recurrent small bowel obstruction, who underwent segmental resection of the small bowel. Intraoperative examination showed bowel stricture with fibrosis, intraluminal pill fragments and creeping mesenteric adipose tissue clinically compatible with Crohn's disease. Histological examination showed acute and chronic mucosal injury characterized by crypt distortion, ulcerations with granulation tissue, pseudo-pyloric metaplasia, areas of fibrosis and serosal adhesions. Multiple blood vessels (including both veins and arteries) demonstrated wall hyalinization, elastic degeneration and non-atherosclerotic luminal occlusion. The pattern of the mucosal injury is, in this case, potentially a consequence of acute and chronic ischemic processes secondary to mesenteric arteriovenous vasculopathy

La vasculopatía arteriovenosa mesentérica (MAVD/V) es una enfermedad extremadamente rara y poco conocida, con una incidencia probablemente subestimada. Se trata de una forma infrecuente, no inflamatoria y no aterosclerótica de lesión vascular mesentérica, reportada por primera vez en 2016, con evidencia histopatológica característica de cambios vasculares de tipo displasia fibromuscular. Presentamos el caso de una paciente crónica de 84 años de edad, con historia de cinco años de obstrucción recurrente de intestino delgado a quien se le practicó resección segmental del mismo. El examen intraoperatorio reveló estenosis intestinal con fibrosis, fragmentos intraluminales de píldoras, y tejido adiposo mesentérico serpiginoso clínicamente compatible con enfermedad de Crohn. El examen histológico reveló lesión mucosa aguda y crónica, evidenciada por distorsión de la cripta, ulceraciones con tejido granuloso, metaplasia pseudopilórica, áreas de fibrosis y adherencias serosas. Los múltiples vasos sanguíneos (incluyendo venas y arterias) reflejaron hialinización de la pared, degeneración elástica y oclusión luminal no aterosclerótica. El patrón de la lesión mucosa es, en este caso, una consecuencia potencial de un proceso isquémico crónico secundario a vasculopatía arteriovenosa mesentérica