[Histonet] Prostate needle biopsies

Bob Richmond rsrichmond at gmail.com
Fri Dec 15 18:18:27 CST 2017


Martha Ward at Wake Forest Baptist Health, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
asks:

>>I am posting this question for our Histology manager. For prostate needle
biopsies how many levels and unstained slides are people cutting and also
how long after the case is signed out is everyone keeping the unstained
slides that have been cut?<<

A reasonable protocol is 5 sections from each block, cut subserially onto
slides suitable for IHC. Stain slides 1, 3, and 5 with H&E for immediate
review by the pathologist. Roughly 10% of cases will require
immunohistochemistry on slides 2 and 4.

Many histotechnologists refuse to do this, but recutting loses about half
the features of interest, compared to IHC done on pre-cut slides 2 and 4.

I don't know about retaining slides 2 and 4 in the 90% of cases where no
IHC is necessary. Prolonged retention isn't necessary, though.

Robert S. Richmond
Samurai Pathologist
Maryville TN


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