Histopathology and cytopathology Flashcards
1
Q
What is the difference between histopathologists and cytopathologists?
A
Histopathologists:
- Interested in tissues
- Biopsies
- Resection specimens- from surgery
- Frozen sections- real time diagnosis
- post-mortems
Cytopathologists:
- Smears
- Fine needle aspirates
2
Q
how are the specimens preserved once they are obtained?
A
- fix in formalin
- embed in paraffin wax
3
Q
what do they do with the sections?
A
- stain e.g. gram, zn
- identify specific antigens using antibodies= immunohistochemistry
- carry out molecular tests
4
Q
when is cytopathology used?
A
used for cervical screening becuase cytopathology is generally fast
- looking at indiviual cells not tissues
- used for fine needle aspirations
5
Q
what is an AIDS defining dignosis?
A
- There is a big lesion composed of proliferating blood vessels
- These are the histological features of Kaposi sarcoma
- This is an AIDS defining diagnosis
