Histopathology and Cytopathology Lab Flashcards
1
Q
What is the difference between histopathology and cytopahtology?
A
- Histopathologists (interested in tissues): Biopsies Resection specimens Frozen sections Post-mortems
- Cytopatholgists (interested in cells):
Smears
Fine needle aspirates
2
Q
What do you look for in histopathological biopsies?
A
- is it normal?
- is it inflamed? What type of inflammation? What is the cause?
- Is it cancer? if yes, what type?
3
Q
What do you look for in resection specimens in histopathology?
A
-> much bigger samples
- how far has the cancer spread?
- check the margins - has all of the cancer been removed?
4
Q
What are frozen sections in histopathology used for?
A
- Rapid diagnosis i.e. during surgery
- is it cancer?
- clear margins? is it all out?
- is there something else going on?
- these have to be done ASAP because the patient is under general anaesthesia
5
Q
What are the 2 types of post-mortems?
A
- hospital
- coroner
6
Q
What are the differences between a hospital and a coroner’s post mortem?
A
Hospital:
- to find out the cause of death
- you need consent
- if you have consent, you can remove any tissue (if you have a reason to)
Coroner:
- if the death occurred in suspicious circumstances
- it has to be done, no consent necessarily needed but the family’s wishes should be taken into consideration.
7
Q
How are sections obtained?
A
- Specimen must be properly labelled
- Fix in formalin
Embed in paraffin wax - Cut sections (usually 3-5 micrometers generally)
8
Q
What do we do with the sections?
A
- Stain e.g. gram, ZN.
- Identify specific antigens using antibodies = immunohistochemistry
- Carry out molecular tests
9
Q
Cytopathology
A
- Looking at individual cells not tissues
- Used for fine needle aspirations
10
Q
How long does a histopathology result take to reach the clinician?
A
- frozen sections: 30 minutes
- biopsies: 2-3 days
- resection specimens: 5-7 days
(larger specimens need more time of fixation)
