HOW TO GROSS AN ORIENTED SAMPLE
Communication between the surgeon and the pathologist before, during, and after the acquisition and processing of the specimen is of paramount value. In many situations, particularly when complete excision of malignant tumors is intended, proper orientation of the specimen is required. Consequently, handling of the specimen in the laboratory impacts the microscopic assessment allowing the pathologist to comment on the status of the margins.
For excisional biopsies that are oriented by sutures, we have a detailed protocol for grossing of the specimen. The process is summarized in the steps below.
(These steps are just examples on how to handle oriented samples. We recognize that there are many other situations with more complex orientation. We hope that our protocol provides a guideline to follow and improve upon in more complex situations.)
SKIN ELLIPSE WITH SUTURE ORIENTATION AT THE TIP
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SKIN ELLIPSE WITH SUTURE ORIENTATION ON THE SIDE
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