General Pathology USMLE Step 1 Practice Question
A 45 year old man with a history of heavy alcohol use presents with severe epigastric pain radiating to the back and repeated vomiting. Serum lipase is markedly elevated. CT of the abdomen shows pancreatic inflammation and surrounding fat stranding. During surgery, the peripancreatic tissue contains chalky white deposits. Which of the following best explains this finding?
Answer choices
- AProtein denaturation due to ischemia in a solid organ
- BImmune complex mediated damage to vessel walls with plasma protein leakage
- CCell swelling due to failure of the sodium potassium ATPase pump
- DApoptotic cell death through caspase activation without inflammation
- EEnzymatic destruction of fat with release of fatty acids that bind calciumCorrect answer
- FDystrophic calcification of necrotic adipose tissue without enzymatic digestion
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