Rapid section examination
When frozen section , also briefly frozen section is called the pathological examination of tissue samples in temporal proximity to an ongoing operation . Since the further surgical tactics can depend on the results of the rapid section examination, rapid sections are given preference. Larger pathological institutes have their own laboratory for this purpose.
procedure
The unfixed surgical material is delivered to the pathologist from the operating room by a messenger. Frozen sections are made from the tissue sample , which is immediately colored and examined by a doctor. The surgeon is informed of the histological findings by telephone. It takes about 10 to 15 minutes from the arrival of the material in the pathology department to the notification of the findings.
restrictions
The morphological quality of frozen sections is poorer than that of histological sections made from paraffin-embedded formalin-fixed material . Especially with very small samples (such as stereotactic biopsies ), the gain in time and information must be weighed against the loss of quality that this entails. Since high-speed section examinations are also time-consuming and labor-intensive, pathologists want surgeons to handle this offer responsibly.
From a hygienic point of view, the indication for rapid section examinations in patients with contagious diseases (such as an HIV infection) must be set strictly, since the material remains infectious despite the freezing. However, if such an examination has to be carried out, particular attention must be paid to observing the precautionary measures required anyway. In this case , the freezing microtome is also defrosted and disinfected.
literature
Remmele W: Intraoperative rapid section diagnosis. In: Pathology (Ed. W. Remmele). Springer Verlag Heidelberg. 2nd edition (1999) Volume 1: 46-49 ISBN 3540610952
Individual evidence
- ↑ Miller et al .: Neuropathology of AIDS in surgical biopsy specimens . Neurosurg Clin N Am. 1994; 5 (1): 57-70. PMID 8124094