Practice questions, exocrine pancreas/gallbladder

Practice questions, exocrine pancreas/gallbladder
© Jun Wang, MD, PhD

1. Use this case and this image for the next four questions. A 41-year-old woman presents with worsening dull epigastric pain, nausea and vomiting for 2 days. The pain is not related to activity, but start radiating to back in the last 4 hours. Her past medical history include chronic cholecystitis, hyperlipidemia, chronic gastritis and reflux esophagitis. She denies alcohol or tobacco use. Her vital signs are normal. Physical examination reveals slight sclera icterus, central epigastric tenderness and decreased bowel sound. No rebound or guarding is noted. Murphy sign is negative. Initial laboratory tests are within normal range except a white blood cell count of 17 x 109/L (normal 4.5 – 10.5 x 109/L). EKG and abdominal plain X-ray exam is unremarkable. What blood test is likely to confirm the diagnosis?
A. Bilirubin
B. CA19-9
C. Culture
D. Lipase
E. Troponin

2. A 41-year-old woman presents with worsening dull epigastric pain, nausea and vomiting for 2 days. The pain is not related to activity, but start radiating to back in the last 4 hours. Her past medical history include chronic cholecystitis, hyperlipidemia, chronic gastritis and reflux esophagitis. She denies alcohol or tobacco use. Her vital signs are normal. Physical examination reveals slight sclera icterus, central epigastric tenderness and decreased bowel sound. No rebound or guarding is noted. Murphy sign is negative. Initial laboratory tests are within normal range except a white blood cell count of 17 x 109/L (normal 4.5 – 10.5 x 109/L). EKG and abdominal plain X-ray exam is unremarkable.

Additional tests reveal a lipase of 210 U/L (normal 0-160 U/L) and an amylase of 80 U/L (normal 25-85 U/L). What test is likely to confirm the diagnosis?
A. Abdominal CT
B. Barium swallow
C. D-dimer
D. Mesentery angiography
E. Upper endoscopy

3. A 41-year-old woman presents with worsening dull epigastric pain, nausea and vomiting for 2 days. The pain is not related to activity, but start radiating to back in the last 4 hours. Her past medical history include chronic cholecystitis, hyperlipidemia, chronic gastritis and reflux esophagitis. She denies alcohol or tobacco use. Her vital signs are normal. Physical examination reveals slight sclera icterus, central epigastric tenderness and decreased bowel sound. No rebound or guarding is noted. Murphy sign is negative. Initial laboratory tests are within normal range except a white blood cell count of 17 x 109/L (normal 4.5 – 10.5 x 109/L). EKG and abdominal plain X-ray exam is unremarkable. Additional tests reveal a lipase of 210 U/L (normal 0-160 U/L) and an amylase of 80 U/L (normal 25-85 U/L). An image of abdominal CT is shown. What is the diagnosis?

(Image: By Hellerhoff, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=27846842)
A. Acute pancreatitis
B. Chronic pancreatitis
C. Mucinous cystic neoplasm
D. Pancreatic adenocarcinoma
E. Serous cystadenoma

4. A 41-year-old woman presents with worsening dull epigastric pain, nausea and vomiting for 2 days. The pain is not related to activity, but start radiating to back in the last 4 hours. Her past medical history include chronic cholecystitis, hyperlipidemia, chronic gastritis and reflux esophagitis. She denies alcohol or tobacco use. Her vital signs are normal. Physical examination reveals slight sclera icterus, central epigastric tenderness and decreased bowel sound. No rebound or guarding is noted. Murphy sign is negative. Initial laboratory tests are within normal range except a white blood cell count of 17 x 109/L (normal 4.5 – 10.5 x 109/L). EKG and abdominal plain X-ray exam is unremarkable. Additional tests reveal a lipase of 210 U/L (normal 0-160 U/L) and an amylase of 80 U/L (normal 25-85 U/L). An image of abdominal CT is shown. What is most likely associated with her condition?

(Image: By Hellerhoff, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=27846842)
A. Alcohol usage
B. Helicobacter infection
C. Hyperlipidemia
D. Scorpion bite
E. Trypsinogen mutation


5. Use this case for the next two questions. A 45-year-old man was found dead in his apartment by his roommate. An empty alcohol bottle is found beside him. He has a history of heavy alcohol use, but no other history is known. No trauma is noted on his skin. All orifices are clean without blood. Internal examination reveals a hard liver that is smaller than normal, and many hemorrhagic changes are seen in various organs, including pancreas, stomach and kidneys. Microscopically the liver has band of fibrotic tissue separating nodules of hepatocytes, the pancreas has hemorrhagic and necrosis. Focal hemorrhage is seen in stomach and small intestine and lungs. His gallbladder is unremarkable. What is the most likely direct cause of death?
A. Acute pancreatitis
B. Alcohol intoxication
C. Hepatocellular carcinoma
D. Sepsis
E. Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura

6. A 45-year-old man was found dead in his apartment by his roommate. An empty alcohol bottle is found beside him. He has a history of heavy alcohol use, but no other history is known. No trauma is noted on his skin. All orifices are clean without blood. Internal examination reveals a hard liver that is smaller than normal, and many hemorrhagic changes are seen in various organs, including pancreas, stomach and kidneys. Microscopically the liver has band of fibrotic tissue separating nodules of hepatocytes, the pancreas has hemorrhagic and necrosis. Focal hemorrhage is seen in stomach and small intestine and lungs. His gallbladder is unremarkable. What is the most important cause of these findings?
A. Activation of trypsinogen
B. ADAMTS13 mutation
C. Bacterial toxin
D. Liver failure
E. Obstruction of bile duct by stones


7. A 50-year-old woman presents with severe persistent dull epigastric pain, nausea and vomiting for one day. She denies other symptoms. She has a history of obesity, chronic cholecystitis and cholelithiasis, reflux esophagitis and peptic ulcer. She does not smoke cigarette or drink alcohol. Physical examination reveals epigastric tenderness without rebound or guarding. No organomegaly is noted. Laboratory tests reveal a white cell count of 15 x 109/L (normal 4.5 – 10.5 x 109/L), lipase of 710 U/L (normal 0-160 U/L) and an amylase of 510 U/L (normal 25-85 U/L). Other lab tests results are within normal range. What is the next step of management?
A. Abdominal CT
B. Blood culture and sensitivity test
C. Fluid replacement
D. Gastroscopy
E. Mesentery angiography

8. A 55-year-old man presents with vague epigastric dull pain for a week. The pain is intermittent and is not associated wiht meals or activity. He does not have nausea, vomiting, fever, chill, or diarrhea. He was hospitalized 6 months ago for acute pancreatitis. He has a history of 6 cans of beer per day for 30 years but quitted after his hospitalization. He has a 35 pack-year history of cigarette smoking. His family history is unremarkable. Physical examination and routine laboratory tests are within normal range. Abdominal CT exam reveals a 5 cm cystic mass at the central portion of his pancreas. Core biopsy of the mass reveal predominately fibrous tissue without epithelial lining. Scattered normal appearing acini and islets are seen. What is the diagnosis?
A. Autoimmune pancreatitis
B. Congenital cyst
C. Mucinous cystic neoplasm
D. Pseudocyst
E. Serous cystadenoma

9. Use this case for the next two questions. A 45-year-old man presents with intermittent nausea, diarrhea with greasy foul smelling stools and epigastric dull pain for 3 years. He had three episodes of acute pancreatitis at age 30, 33, and 40. His past medical history include reflux esophagitis, peptic ulcer and chronic cholecystitis. He has a 30 pack-year history of cigarette smoking and used to drink 6 cans of beer each day since age 22 until his episode of pancreatitis. His family history is unremarkable. Physical examination reveals no significant abnormalities except central upper abdomen tenderness. Laboratory tests reveals a serum glucose of 225 mg/dL (normal 70-125 mg/dL), lipase of 120 U/L (normal 0-160 U/L), and an amylase of 95 U/L (normal 25-85 U/L). IgG4, rheumatoid factor, ANA, and anti-smooth muscle antibody titer are all within normal ranges. Quantitative fecal fat test reveals 12 g/day (normal < 7g/day) fecal lipid. Abdominal CT reveals ductal dilation and foci of calcification in pancreas. No discrete mass is noted. Other organs are unremarkable. What is the diagnosis?
A. Acute pancreatitis
B. Autoimmune pancreatitis
C. Chronic pancreatitis
D. Pancreatic adenocarcinoma
E. Pseudocyst

10. A 45-year-old man presents with intermittent nausea, diarrhea with greasy foul smelling stools and epigastric dull pain for 3 years. He had three episodes of acute pancreatitis at age 30, 33, and 40. His past medical history include reflux esophagitis, peptic ulcer and chronic cholecystitis. He has a 30 pack-year history of cigarette smoking and used to drink 6 cans of beer each day since age 22 until his episode of pancreatitis. His family history is unremarkable. Physical examination reveals no significant abnormalities except central upper abdomen tenderness. Laboratory tests reveals a serum glucose of 225 mg/dL (normal 70-125 mg/dL), lipase of 120 U/L (normal 0-160 U/L), and an amylase of 95 U/L (normal 25-85 U/L). IgG4, rheumatoid factor, ANA, and anti-smooth muscle antibody titer are all within normal ranges. Quantitative fecal fat test reveals 12 g/day (normal < 7g/day) fecal lipid. Abdominal CT reveals ductal dilation and foci of calcification in pancreas. No discrete mass is noted. Other organs are unremarkable. What is likely to be seen if a biopsy of the pancreas is performed?
A. Cysts with fibrotic wall without epithelial lining
B. Diffuse lymphoplasmacytic infiltration with IgG4 positive plasma cells
C. Irregular glands lined by atypical cells in a fibrotic background
D. Microabscesses and ductal ulceration
E. Stroma fibrosis with acinar and islet atrophy


11. Use this case for the next two questions. A 62-year-old man presents intermittent nausea and worsening abdominal pain and jaundice for 3 weeks. The pain is triggered by meals. He does not have other symptoms. He has chronic sclerosing sialadenitis at age 52. He does not drink alcohol nor smoke cigarette. Physical examination reveals diffuse abdominal tenderness and mild distention without rebound or guarding. His sclera is icteric. Laboratory tests reveal an AST of 120 U/L (normal 10-40 U/L), ALT 87 U/L (normal 7-56 U/L), direct bilirubin of 1.1 mg/dl (normal < 0.2 mg/dl) and total bilirubin of 2.5 mg/dl (normal < 1.1 mg/dl). Other laboratory tests including CBC and renal functions are within normal range. Image studies reveal mild dilatation of intrahepatic biliary ducts. A 2.5 cm vague mass is seen at the pancreas head. Biopsy of the mass reveals markedly lymphoplasmacytic infiltration with focal fibrosis. Per immunohistochemistry, these are mixed population of CD3 positive cells and CD20 positive cells with either kappa or lambda expression. There are scattered glandular structures. No cytological atypia is noted. What is most likely the diagnosis?
A. Acute pancreatitis
B. Autoimmune pancreatitis
C. Chronic pancreatitis
D. Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma
E. Pancreatic adenocarcinoma

12. A 62-year-old man presents intermittent nausea and worsening abdominal pain and jaundice for 3 weeks. The pain is triggered by meals. He does not have other symptoms. He has chronic sclerosing sialadenitis at age 52. He does not drink alcohol nor smoke cigarette. Physical examination reveals diffuse abdominal tenderness and mild distention without rebound or guarding. His sclera is icteric. Laboratory tests reveal an AST of 120 U/L (normal 10-40 U/L), ALT 87 U/L (normal 7-56 U/L), direct bilirubin of 1.1 mg/dl (normal < 0.2 mg/dl) and total bilirubin of 2.5 mg/dl (normal < 1.1 mg/dl). Other laboratory tests including CBC and renal functions are within normal range. Image studies reveal mild dilatation of intrahepatic biliary ducts. A 2.5 cm vague mass is seen at the pancreas head. Biopsy of the mass reveals markedly lymphoplasmacytic infiltration with focal fibrosis. Per immunohistochemistry, these are mixed population of CD3 positive cells and CD20 positive cells with either kappa or lambda expression. There are scattered glandular structures. No cytological atypia is noted. What serum marker is likely to be elevated?
A. CA19-9
B. CD20
C. CEA
D. IgG4
E. IgM


13. Use this case for the next two questions. A 21-year-old man presents with nausea, vomiting and severe persistent epigastric pain radiating to his back for 6 hours. His past medical including type 1 diabetes and acute pancreatitis since age 11 and 14, respectively. His past history is otherwise unremarkable. He has a few paternal family members with pancreatitis, pancreas cancers and diabetes. He does not smoke cigarette nor drink alcohol. Physical examination reveals epigastric tenderness, mild abdomen distention, reduced bowel sound, but no rebound or guarding. Laboratory tests reveal a white cell count of 18 x 109/L (normal 4.5 – 10.5 x 109/L), serum glucose of 250 mg/dL (normal 70-125 mg/dL) and lipase of 560 U/L (normal 0-160 U/L). Serum IgG4, rheumatoid factor, ANA, and anti-smooth muscle antibody titer are all within normal ranges. Image studies reveal enlarged pancreas without discrete mass. What is most likely causing these presentations?
A. Accelerated fat metabolism
B. Alcohol usage
C. Bile duct obstruction
D. PRSS1 mutation
E. Viral infection

14. A 21-year-old man presents with nausea, vomiting and severe persistent epigastric pain radiating to his back for 6 hours. He does not His past medical including type 1 diabetes and recurrent pancreatitis since age 11 and 14, respectively. His past history is otherwise unremarkable. He has a few paternal family members with pancreatitis, pancreas cancers and diabetes. He does not smoke cigarette nor drink alcohol. Physical examination reveals epigastric tenderness, mild abdomen distention, reduced bowel sound, but no rebound or guarding. Laboratory tests reveal a white cell count of 18 x 109/L (normal 4.5 – 10.5 x 109/L), serum glucose of 250 mg/dL (normal 70-125 mg/dL) and lipase of 560 U/L (normal 0-160 U/L). Serum IgG4, rheumatoid factor, ANA, and anti-smooth muscle antibody titer are all within normal ranges. Image studies reveal enlarged pancreas without discrete mass. What is most likely the diagnosis?
A. Autoimmune pancreatitis
B. Chronic pancreatitis
C. Diabetic ketoacidosis
D. Hereditary pancreatitis
E. Pancreatic cancer


15. Use this image for this question. A 71-year-old woman presents with vague epigastric discomfort for 3 months. She has a history of acute pancreatitis 20 years ago and ovarian serous cystadenocarcinoma a year ago, that was treated with surgery and chemotherapy. Other medical history include obesity, diabetes and reflux esophagitis. Physical examination and laboratory tests reveal no significant abnormalities. Abdominal CT reveals a 4.5 cm mass at the tail of her pancreas. No other abnormalities are noted. An image of the biopsy is shown. What is the diagnosis?


(Image: KGH assumed (based on copyright claims). [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)])
A. Acinar cell carcinoma
B. Metastatic ovarian serous cystadenocarcinoma
C. Mucinous cystic neoplasm
D. Pancreatic pseudocyst
E. Serous cystadenoma

16. Use this image and this case for the next two questions. A 49-year-old woman presents with vague epigastric discomfort for 3 months. She has a history of endometriosis and obesity. Physical examination and laboratory tests reveal no significant abnormalities. Abdominal CT reveals a 3.5 cm mass at the body of her pancreas. No other abnormalities are noted. An image of the biopsy is shown. Per immunohistochemistry studies, the stromal cells underneath epithelium are positive for estrogen receptor. What is the diagnosis?
(Image: Humpath [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)])
A. Endometriosis
B. Intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm
C. Mucinous cystic neoplasm
D. Pancreatic congenital cyst
E. Serous cystadenoma

17. A 49-year-old woman presents with vague epigastric discomfort for 3 months. She has a history of endometriosis and obesity. Physical examination and laboratory tests reveal no significant abnormalities. Abdominal CT reveals a 3.5 cm mass at the body of her pancreas. No other abnormalities are noted. An image of the biopsy is shown. Per immunohistochemistry studies, the stromal cells underneath epithelium are positive for estrogen receptor.
The mass is resected. An image of a focus of it is shown. What is the diagnosis?
(Image: KGH [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)])
A. Adenocarcinoma
B. Chronic pancreatitis
C. Intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm
D. Mucinous cystic neoplasm
E. Serous cystadenoma


18. A 67-year-old man presents with mild to moderate epigastric pain, jaundice and a 10 pound weight loss during the last 3 months. His past medical history including hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and chronic cholecystitis. Physical examination reveal vague epigastric tenderness and sclera icterus. Laboratory test results are within normal range except elevated bilirubin levels. Abdominal CT exam reveals a 2.5 cm mass at the head of his pancreas. Dilated pancreatic ducts are noted. A biopsy of the mass reveals cystic lesion lined by columnar cells with pale cytoplasm, forming finger-like projects toward the lumen. No cytological atypia nor necrosis is noted. What is most likely the diagnosis?
A. Adenocarcinoma
B. Intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm
C. Mucinous cystic neoplasm
D. Serous cystadenoma
E. Solid-pseudopapillary neoplasm

19. Use this image and this case for the next two questions. A 34-year-old woman presents with intermittent epigastric pain and nausea for 3 days. Her past medical history, physical examination and laboratory tests are unremarkable. Sonographic exam reveal a 5.5 cm mass at the tail of her pancreas. An image of the biopsy is shown. What genetic abnormality is likely to be associated with this lesion?
(Image: Nephron [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)])
A. Beta-catenin
B. PRSS1
C. SMAD4
D. STK11
E. VHL

20. A 34-year-old woman presents with intermittent epigastric pain and nausea for 3 days. Her past medical history, physical examination and laboratory tests are unremarkable. Sonographic exam reveal a 5.5 cm mass at the tail of her pancreas. An image of the biopsy is shown. What is the diagnosis?

(Image: Nephron [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)])
A. Acinar cell carcinoma
B. Adenocarcinoma
C. Mucinous cystic neoplasm
D. Serous cystadenoma
E. Solid-pseudopapillary neoplasm


21. Use this image and this case for the next two questions. A 76-year-old man presents with fatigue and a 30 pound weight loss for the last 6 months. He denies other symptoms. His past medical history include hypertension, obesity and type 2 diabetes. He has a 55 pack-year history of cigarette smoking and drinks 2 glasses of wine each day since age 30. Physical examination reveals slight sclera icterus. No other abnormality is noted. Laboratory tests reveal a total bilirubin of 7 mg/dl (normal 0.1-1.2 mg/dl), direct bilirubin 4.2 mg/dl (normal < 0.3 mg/dl), AST of 55 IU/L (normal 5-31 IU/IU/L), ALT of 68 IU/L (normal 5-35 IU/L). Sonographic examination reveals a 4.5 cm mass at the head of his pancreas. An image of the biopsy is shown. What serum marker is likely to be elevated?
(Image KGH [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)])
A. AFP
B. Amylase
C. CA19-9
D. IgG4
E. Lipase

22. A 76-year-old man presents with fatigue and a 30 pound weight loss for the last 6 months. He denies other symptoms. His past medical history include hypertension, obesity and type 2 diabetes. He has a 55 pack-year history of cigarette smoking and drinks 2 glasses of wine each day since age 30. Physical examination reveals slight sclera icterus. No other abnormality is noted. Laboratory tests reveal a total bilirubin of 7 mg/dl (normal 0.1-1.2 mg/dl), direct bilirubin 4.2 mg/dl (normal < 0.3 mg/dl), AST of 55 IU/L (normal 5-31 IU/IU/L), ALT of 68 IU/L (normal 5-35 IU/L). Sonographic examination reveals a 4.5 cm mass at the head of his pancreas. An image of the biopsy is shown. What is the diagnosis?

(Image KGH [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)])
A. Acinar cell carcinoma
B. Adenocarcinoma
C. Mucinous cystic neoplasm
D. Serous cystadenoma
E. Solid-pseudopapillary neoplasm


23. Use this image for this question. A 76-year-old man presents with epigastric pain and a 20-pound weight loss for 2 months. His past medical history is unremarkable. Physical examination reveals slightly distended abdomen with vague left upper quadrant tenderness. No lymphadenopathy is noted. Routine laboratory tests results are within normal ranges. Image studies reveal a 3 cm mass at the body of pancreas. An image of the biopsy is shown. Per immunohistochemistry studies, these cells are positive for trypsin, lipase and amylase, but negative for mucin and chromogranin. What is the diagnosis?
(Image: Nephron [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)])
A. Acinar cell carcinoma
B. Adenocarcinoma
C. Islet cell tumor
D. Serous cystadenoma
E. Solid-pseudopapillary neoplasm

24. Use this image and this case for the next two questions. A 45-year-old woman presents with intermittent right upper abdomen pain for 2 years. She has a history of reflux esophagitis, peptic ulcer and obesity. Physical examination reveals an overweight woman with distended abdomen and vague tenderness at right upper quadrant. Murphy sign is positive. Sonographic examination reveals slightly enlarged gallbladder with thickened wall. A few stones are seen. Cholecystectomy is performed and an image of the microscopic findings is shown. What is the diagnosis?
(Image: Nephron [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)])
A. Acute cholecystitis
B. Adenocarcinoma
C. Chronic cholecystitis
D. Gangrenous cholecystitis

25. A 45-year-old woman presents with intermittent right upper abdomen pain for 2 years. She has a history of reflux esophagitis, peptic ulcer and obesity. Physical examination reveals an overweight woman with distended abdomen and vague tenderness at right upper quadrant. Murphy sign is positive. Sonographic examination reveals slightly enlarged gallbladder with thickened wall. A few stones are seen. Cholecystectomy is performed and an image of the microscopic findings is shown. This patient has an increased risk for what disorder?

(Image: Nephron [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)])
A. Acute pancreatitis
B. Autoimmune pancreatitis
C. Chronic hepatitis
D. Pancreatic adenocarcinoma
E. Pancreatic mucinous cystic neoplasm


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