Wound Healing MCQ — NEET PG Practice Question | NEETPGAI
Wound Healing
medium
microscope Pathology
A 32-year-old woman undergoes elective cesarean section for breech presentation. On postoperative day 5, the surgical wound shows erythema, warmth, and serous drainage. On examination, the wound edges are well-approximated but the surrounding tissue is edematous. Histologically, the wound shows prominent fibroblast activity, neovascularization, and early collagen deposition. Which phase of wound healing is predominantly occurring at this stage?
A. Hemostasis phase with fibrin clot formation
B. Inflammatory phase with transition to proliferative phase
C. Proliferative phase with early remodeling
D. Remodeling phase with collagen cross-linking
Explanation
Phase Identification
The clinical and histological findings at postoperative day 5 are characteristic of the proliferative phase with early transition features.
Timeline of Wound Healing Phases
Table
Phase
Duration
Key Features
Histology
Hemostasis
Minutes
Platelet aggregation, fibrin clot
Fibrin plug
Inflammatory
0–3 days
Neutrophils, macrophages, cytokine release
Acute inflammation
Proliferative
3–21 days
Fibroblasts, angiogenesis, collagen deposition
Granulation tissue, neovascularization
Remodeling
21 days–2 years
Collagen cross-linking, scar maturation
Organized collagen bundles
Key Point
Postoperative day 5 falls squarely in the proliferative phase. The presence of fibroblasts, neovascularization, and early collagen deposition are hallmark features of this phase.
Why Day 5 Is Proliferative, Not Inflammatory
High-YieldNEET PG
By day 3–5, the acute inflammatory response (dominated by neutrophils) is waning, and macrophages shift from pro-inflammatory (M1) to pro-healing (M2) phenotype. Fibroblasts migrate into the wound and begin synthesizing Type III collagen (the predominant collagen in early proliferative phase).
Clinical Pearl
The serous drainage and edema reflect active angiogenesis and increased vascular permeability—hallmarks of the proliferative phase. Well-approximated wound edges indicate good surgical technique and support normal healing progression.
Collagen Dynamics
Proliferative phase: Type III collagen predominates; tensile strength ~5% of normal skin
Remodeling phase: Type III → Type I collagen; cross-linking increases tensile strength to ~80% by 3 months
Warning
Do not confuse "early collagen deposition" (proliferative) with "collagen cross-linking and remodeling" (remodeling phase). The question explicitly states early collagen deposition, placing this in proliferative, not remodeling.
Robbins 10e Ch 3
Practice similar questions
Sign up free to access AI-powered MCQ practice with detailed explanations and adaptive learning.
