In the previous Blog “Dermatopathology 101”, a clear outline of material was provided which ensured the skin’s histology presentation as an organ in the final microscope slide. We discussed basic skin histology, and important aspects of embedding and microtomy. In this Blog “Dermatopathology 102”, we will continue the discussion of the handling of skin specimens …
Dermatopathology is a subject heading in pathology all unto itself. The intrinsic nature of dermatopathology specimens received in a laboratory necessitates a clear understanding of the material due to importance of the skin’s histology presentation as an organ. The goal of the histologist in the preparation of dermatopathology slides is to ensure that the entire …
In order to successfully prepare slides of skin specimens, the histologist must understand basic skin histology. Two major reasons for this are: The pathologist must be able to see the dermal-epidermal junction. The vast majority of skin pathology takes place in this area. Skin specimens are composed of three major tissue areas: epidermis, dermis and …
Bone specimens received in the laboratory can generate comments that range from: “This block is impossible to cut!”… to …“This block cuts like butter!” How can one tissue behave like Dr. Jekyll and the other like Mr. Hyde? As with many things in histology, the answer is in the details. Similar to dermatopathology, the histologist …
Neuropathology is a histology specialty unto itself. Most hospitals and healthcare facilities will refer patients to a neuropathology center. Specimens can be procured by neurosurgery (i.e. tumor samples, brain biopsies, peripheral nerve biopsies, skeletal muscle biopsy) or post mortem (i.e. whole brain or spinal cord). While your laboratory may not receive neuropathology specimens, there may …
Whether you work in a hospital laboratory or a private reference laboratory, you probably receive specimens of prostate gland. In a hospital setting, the specimen may be received from a transurethral resection of the prostate, or a surgical resection of the entire prostate gland. In both cases, large pieces of prostate tissue are submitted to …
Hair loss and baldness in patients is referred to as “alopecia”. The hair loss can be a result of normal biology, such as male pattern baldness in men, which is a hereditary condition. Women may also experience hair loss, due to hormonal changes. There are also some medical conditions which can cause hair loss such …
There are instances when the histology laboratory will receive a hair specimen from a patient for diagnosis. This is not to be confused with residual hair left on a skin specimen. Sometimes, hair itself is obtained by pulling it from the scalp, in order to determine any pathology that might be present. Hair specimens for …
The artefacts shown in Figure 1 are most likely due to: incomplete fixation improper embedding incomplete dehydration incomplete infiltration with paraffin The most noticeable artefacts in Figure 1 are the wrinkles in the tissue sections (closed arrows). In addition, there are multiple holes and tears throughout the section (open arrow). Incomplete fixation would not cause …
Surgical Grossing: Special Cases There are some unique specimens received in the histology laboratory that may cause problems for the histologist ifnot handled properly at the time of surgical grossing. The following specimen types are described and specific procedures are recommended for their successful handling in the Procedures section of the laboratory manual “Dermatopathology Laboratory Techniques” by Clifford …
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