Answering six questions about pathological reports

Why do doctors need to wait for the pathological report results?

Pathological reports are crucial for both clinical doctors and patients, as they can clarify disease diagnosis and provide accurate basis for doctors' treatment, prognosis evaluation, and symptom interpretation of the disease. Therefore, it is necessary to wait patiently before the pathological report results are available. The pathology department should not only ensure the timeliness of the report, but also ensure the accuracy of the report.

The steps of fixation, dehydration procedure processing, and doctor review during the birth process of pathological reports cannot be skipped. The fixed time can range from 4 to 6 hours, to 12 to 24 hours at most. Dehydration machines typically take 12 hours to process tissue, and doctors also need to spend some time reading the film. Usually, pathological reports are issued within 3 to 5 working days from the date of submission for examination.

What if I don't understand the content of the report?

There are a large number of medical diagnostic terms in pathological reports, and the classification of diseases is very complex, and the subsequent treatment is also different. Sometimes, in pathological reports, words such as' considered ',' consistent ',' not excluded ', and' recommended 'may appear. If you rely solely on your own judgment after receiving the report, misreading may occur. So, after receiving the pathological report, it is necessary to communicate and confirm with the clinical department doctors to ensure the correctness of subsequent diagnosis and treatment, so as not to delay the diagnosis and treatment of the condition.

If conventional staining cannot meet the diagnostic needs, doctors will also conduct additional experiments such as specific staining, immunohistochemistry staining, FISH fluorescence in situ hybridization, and gene testing to further assist in disease diagnosis through experiments at different levels and levels. After conducting a new experiment, the reporting date will be extended by a few days for short periods and about half a month for long periods, based on the previous 3-5 working days.

Will the submitted specimens be preserved?

The issuance of pathological reports is based on the observation of pathological sections, which are cut from tissue wax blocks. These tissue wax blocks are made from the diseased and suspicious parts of the submitted specimens, and are the most important data in the pathology department. These wax blocks and sections will be stored for a long time even after the report is issued, in order to facilitate patient follow-up consultations and further experiments. When problems are found, they can also be re verified. As for the remaining daily biopsy specimens that were not prepared with wax blocks after being taken by the pathologist, they should be stored for two to four weeks from the beginning of the pathological diagnosis report.

What is a biopsy consultation?

Pathological section consultation refers to borrowing previous sections from external hospitals and sending them together with pathological reports to the current hospital for section consultation. If only the slices are lent without the previous pathological report, the pathologists at the new hospital will not be able to obtain detailed information, including name, pathological number, sampling location, diagnostic results, and so on, let alone verify the information. Pathological reports and sections are one-to-one correspondence, and they are indispensable during consultation. After the consultation, a consultation report will be produced, which helps to confirm the diagnosis of the disease again and improve the accuracy of subsequent treatment.

If the disease diagnosis names on the pathological reports of two hospitals are consistent, but there are slight differences in the specific content, the patient can confirm with the clinical doctor again. If the diagnosis in the pathological report is completely inconsistent, it is recommended to go to a third hospital for consultation. Finally, based on the comprehensive results of multiple consultations, contact the clinical department for reasonable treatment and related treatments.

Are there any limitations to the pathological report?

At present, there are still some challenging academic issues and technical limitations in pathological reports. The clinical surgical specimen itself, the filling out of application form information, the collection of materials by pathologists, the production by pathologists, the review by pathologists, and the update of difficult disease classification will all have an impact on pathological diagnosis.

Therefore, if significant treatment is required, a comprehensive judgment should also be made based on the patient's clinical manifestations and other examination results. If there are doubts about the results of the pathological report, or if there is a significant contradiction between the pathological report and clinical manifestations, the doctor will personally visit the pathology department for further examination to help the patient find the true cause.