Adventure of a Specimen
Here are the highlights of a specimen's trip to our laboratory:
- The body tissue specimen arrives at our lab and is labeled with an identification number.
- The specimen is removed from its bottle and carefully examined. Sometimes the tissue must be dissected into smaller portions. The tissue is then placed into small plastic "cassettes" for processing. The physician/certified histotechnologist uses a hands-free microphone to record his or her findings, which are later transcribed into printed notes.
- All the tissue from that day's cases is processed overnight. The tissue is then embedded into a paraffin wax block.
- The following morning, certified histotechnologists slice through the wax and tissue to create sections that are 4 microns thick. The sections are floated across a water bath and picked up with a glass slide.
- Using special machines and equipment, the slides are treated with stains to make them easier to examine under a microscope.
- Our pathologists examine the slides for each case under the microscope to determine the diagnosis for each patient.
- The pathologist's findings are transcribed into our pathology computer program to complete the report. The pathologist reviews the full report for each case and signs it, either by hand or electronically, and the reports are emailed, faxed, or delivered to the referring physician or facility. The patient is then informed of the pathology results and diagnosis.
- The slides and cassettes with embedded tissue are filed in special containers to protect them. After a year, they are moved to another building for storage; they are kept for at least 10 years.