A patch is best described as which of the following?

A patch is best described as which of the following?

• A. A flat nonpalpable spot less than 10 mm
• B. A patch is a flat nonpalpable spot greater than 10 mm
• C. A flat, raised plaque
• D. A solid palpable lesion greater than 5 mm

Answer: (B)

A patch is a flat, nonpalpable area of color change that is larger than 1 cm (greater than 10 mm). This size threshold differentiates patches from macules, which are flat color changes less than 1 cm. Because a patch must be flat and nonpalpable and exceed 1 cm in diameter, the description of a flat, nonpalpable spot greater than 10 mm fits best. The other options describe either a smaller flat spot (a macule) or a raised lesion (which would be a plaque or another type that is palpable), so they don’t match the definition of a patch.

A patch is a flat, nonpalpable area of color change that is larger than 1 cm (greater than 10 mm). This size threshold differentiates patches from macules, which are flat color changes less than 1 cm. Because a patch must be flat and nonpalpable and exceed 1 cm in diameter, the description of a flat, nonpalpable spot greater than 10 mm fits best. The other options describe either a smaller flat spot (a macule) or a raised lesion (which would be a plaque or another type that is palpable), so they don’t match the definition of a patch.