[Histonet] Needle biopsies

[GUTIERREZ, JUAN]

My personal opinion is: It is always easier to go back and get deeper levels on the block later, than to lose an irreplaceable biopsy by trimming too much into it.  Let the pathologists bitch all they want.

Juan C. Gutierrez, HT(ASCP)
Histology Laboratory Supervisor
(210)704-2533

My opinions are my own and do not reflect those of my employer.  Long live free speech!


-----Original Message-----
From: histonet-bounces <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu [mailto:histonet-bounces <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu] On Behalf Of Jim Ball
Sent: Wednesday, December 29, 2004 3:56 PM
To: histonet <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu
Subject: [Histonet] Needle biopsies

I am a tech with 25+ years of experience and have been bitten by about every 
snake in the garden of eden (Histology), and I guess that is one of the main 
reasons I will error on the side of caution at every turn. I really try to 
be as conservative as possible with tissue when trimming into a needle 
biopsy, as soon as I have a full face on properly enbedded needles(usually 
not more than 20 microns or less I start taking slides). The sections are 
3microns and may produce as many as 5 to 10 sections suitable for mounting. 
This acounts for max 30 more micrones into the block.  It is at this point I 
would like to preserve the remainder of the tissue until it is reviewed by a 
pathologist. I refer to my madness as scouting (a procedure if used by 
General Custer would have saved alot of lives), but as we all know  there 
are some patologist that will declare we did not trim enough if what they 
are looking for is 100 micrones into the block.
   While I have been reseaching a procedure that will keep everyone happy I 
ran across an article that state there was a study done to determine if 
histologists were trimming away microcalcifications in needle biopsies, and 
according to the high lights of the article (one they wanted me to purchase 
to add insult to injury) it was determined that after x-raying the histology 
shavings from trimmed breast biopsies the culprit once again was the 
histologist.  Go figure.
  At the present time I am on a public computer and some one needs to use 
it, but before I leave please foward any ideas you may have on this subject 
via this server or directly to my e-mail address listed with this posting



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