[Histonet] Re: Placentas

[Bob Richmond]

Joyce Fortin at UHSINC (where?) asks:

>>Would anyone be willing to share their policy on how to handle placentas?
I have public health asking.<<

There are a number of standard references on how to gross a placenta - it's
your pathologist's responsibility to get this information for you. You
should not be expected to gross a placenta without being shown how, and the
pathologist should be very slow to delegate grossing twin placentas.

I want four cassettes for a normal singleton placenta. The first is for the
membrane roll, which somebody needs to show you how to do, with a wooden
applicator stick and a straight pin. The second is for two or three
sections of the cord segment. The third is for the fetal surface, one piece
with great vessels and one piece from the margin. The fourth is for two or
three separate pieces of the maternal surface. Don't try to sample fetal
and maternal surface together in one big piece.

Swish the placenta pieces vigorously through formalin to get the blood out
of them so they won't soil the processor fixative.

Bob Richmond
Samurai Pathologist
Maryville TN