Pathology for Surgeons and Surgery Residents

It is essential that clinicians and pathologists work closely together in order to optimize the information that can be obtained from the surgical biopsy.

Information that the pathologist needs from the surgeon
It is surprising how many samples are sent to the pathologist without even basic information about the animal such as sex, age, breed and even species! Indeed, some clinicians believe that it is better not to provide clinical information to avoid biasing the pathologist. I do not believe that this happens and indeed, in some cases the interpretation of the pathological changes can be greatly aided by knowledge of the patient’s signalment.

Further information that should definitely be provided are the location from where the sample was obtained, as again a more confident interpretation of the pathological changes can sometimes be made with this knowledge.

Other clinical histories, recent treatment, imaging findings, etc, can all help the pathologist to provide meaningful comments. Submission of the entire printed clinical notes is not encouraged as it can take a considerable period of time to find the relevant clinical information, and in some cases that clinical information may not have been recorded in the notes.

Choosing the biopsy methodology
A range of biopsy techniques are available and the particular technique employed should be undertaken with some thought as to the likely results that may be obtained and the limitations that each technique might have.  [...]