I. REQUESTS FOR PATHOLOGIC EVALUATION

• SUBMITTING PATHOLOGY SPECIMENS
• Orienting Pathology Specimens

II. SPECIMEN PROCESSING: FROM GROSS SPECIMENS TO TISSUE CASSETTES

• GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF PROCESSING SPECIMENS
• GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF GROSS DESCRIPTIONS
  • Gross Descriptions
  • Selection of Tissue for Microscopic Examination
  • Fixation
• DISPOSAL OF FIXATIVES AND TISSUES
• DISPOSAL OF SHARPS
• RETURNING SPECIMENS TO PATIENTS

III. THE HISTOLOGY LABORATORY - WHAT THE PATHOLOGIST NEEDS TO KNOW - FROM TISSUE CASSETTES TO GLASS SLIDES

• Histologic Processing
• Identification of Tissue
• Extraneous tissue ("floaters")
  

IV. THE SURGICAL PATHOLOGY REPORT: FROM THE GLASS SLIDE TO THE FINAL DIAGNOSIS

• Elements of a Surgical Pathology Report
• Diagnostic Headings
• STANDARDIZED DIAGNOSIS FORMS
• TURN AROUND TIME
• Tissue Committee
• MODIFICATION OF AN EXISTING REPORT (ADDENDUM AND AMENDMENT)
  • Documentation for Billing
• DISTRIBUTION OF CASES
• GUIDELINES FOR COMMUNICATION OF URGENT RESULTS
• Approved Mnemonics

V. CONSULTATION REPORTS

• INTRA-INSTITUTIONAL (IN-HOUSE) CONSULTATIONS
• SPECIALIST CONSULTATIONS
• CONSULTATIONS FOR SPECIAL STUDIES
• INSTITUTIONAL CONSULTATIONS
  
• LEGAL CONSULTATIONS
  
• REVIEW FOR RESEARCH OR TREATMENT PROTOCOLS
  
• RECEIVING CONSULTATION MATERIALS
  
• SENDING OUT SLIDES FOR CONSULTATION
  
• SIGN-OUT OF CONSULT CASES

VI. OPERATING ROOM CONSULTATIONS

• PURPOSE OF O.R. CONSULTATIONS
• FROZEN SECTIONS ARE NOT PERMANENT SECTIONS
  
• INAPPROPRIATE FROZEN SECTIONS
  
• PERFORMING O.R. CONSULTATIONS
  
• PREPARING FROZEN SECTIONS
  
  • Staining Slides including Felix's Tips for Better Results
    
  • Performing Frozen Sections on Fixed Tissue
    
  • Intraoperative Cytology
    
• REPORTING THE RESULTS OF O.R. CONSULTATIONS
  
  • Accuracy of O.R. Consultations
    
  • Quality Control of Operating Room Consultations
    
  • Common Operating Room Consultations
    
  • Bone Biopsies
    
  • Dermatopathology
    
  • Breast biopsies
    
  • Gastrointestinal Specimens
    
  • Genitourinary Specimens
    
  • Gynecologic Pathology
    
  • Head and Neck Resections
    
  • Lung and Pleura
    
  • Lymph Nodes for Suspected Lymphoproliferative Disorders
    
  • Neuropathology - Stereotactic Brain Biopsies
    
  • Soft Tissue Tumors and Mesotheliomas
    
  • Thyroid Nodules
    
  • Parathyroid Surgery
    
• INFECTION PRECAUTIONS IN THE O.R. CONSULTATION ROOM

VII. SPECIAL STUDIES

• HISTOCHEMISTRY
  
• IMMUNOPEROXIDASE STUDIES
  
  • Evaluation of Immunoperoxidase Studies
    
  • Common Panels for Immunohistochemical Studies
    
• ELECTRON MICROSCOPY
  
• SNAP FROZEN TISSUE
  
• IMMUNOFLUORESCENCE
  
  • Molecular Genetic Pathology
    
• CYTOGENETICS
  
• ANALYTICAL CYTOLOGY (FLOW CYTOMETRY)
  
• CYTOLOGIC PREPARATIONS FROM SURGICAL SPECIMENS
  
• SPECIMEN RADIOGRAPHY
  
• TISSUE FOR RESEARCH - TUMOR BANK
  
• MICROBIOLOGICAL CULTURE AND SMEARS

IX. MICROSCOPY AND PHOTOGRAPHY

• OPTIMAL OPTICS
  
• OIL IMMERSION MICROSCOPY
  
• OPTICAL PROPERTIES
  
• MEASURING WITH THE MICROSCOPE
  
• CLEANING AND CARE OF THE MICROSCOPE AND GLASS SLIDES
  
• PHOTOGRAPHY
  
  • Photomicroscopy
    
• Photography of Gross Specimens

X. APPROACHING PERFECTION; AVOIDING ERRORS IN SURGICAL PATHOLOGY

• SOURCES OF ERROR
  
• PRE-PATHOLOGY ERRORS
  
  • Pathology Errors
    
  • Post-Pathology Errors
    
  • Ten Ways to Avoid Personal Errors
    
  • Redundant Systems
    
  • Frequent Diagnostic Pitfalls
    
  • When an error is detected

XI. HARVARD VANGUARD MEDICAL ASSOCIATES

XII. THE SLIDE FILES AND PARAFFIN BLOCK

XIII. INFORMATION SYSTEMS

• CASE FOLDERS
  
  • Responsible Personnel
    
• LOGGING IN SPECIMENS IN THE FROZEN SECTION
  
  • Creating a new case from orders
    
  • Ordering recuts, specials stains, and IHC
    
  • Typing in diagnoses
    
  • Hold notes and preliminary diagnoses
    
  • Printing Cassettes
    
  • Digital Image Files
    
  • Searches
    
  • Codes for special stain
    
  • Codes for IHC
    
  • Signing out
    
  • ICD-9 Codes
    
  • Using the Microscope in the PCR
    
  • BICS

This page was last modified on 08/02/2006