Overview:
BIOPSY: A biopsy is the removal of a small amount of tissue. It is an important way doctors diagnose many different types of cancer refers to tissue which has been removed from a living body for examination, to discover the presence, cause, or extent of a disease.
For small biopsies, such as punch biopsy or a core needle biopsy, the entire specimen is looked under the microscope.
TYPES OF BIOPSY: Various types of biopsy can be used to help identify a wide range of health conditions. How a biopsy is carried out will depend on where the tissue sample is being taken.
Scraping cells: Removing cells from the surface layer of tissue
Punch biopsy: For diagnosing skin conditions using a special instrument to punch a small hole in the skin to obtain a sample
Needle biopsy: A special hollow needle, guided by ultrasound or CT scanning, is used to obtain tissue from an organ or the tissue beneath the skin
Endoscopic biopsy: A type of biopsy where an endoscope (a tube with a camera at the end) is used to remove tissue, such as from the stomach during an endoscopy (a diagnostic procedure to look inside the stomach upper gastrointestinal tract)
Excisional biopsy: A type of biopsy where surgery is done to remove a larger piece of tissue
Fine needle aspiration: A type of biopsy using a needle and syringe to obtain a sample of cells
SPECIMEN:
The tissue sample removed during a biopsy is called a specimen. The medical staff who perform biopsy place the specimen in a container with a fluid that preserves it. The container is labeled with the patient’s name and other details.
GROSS EXAMINATION:
After the specimen is taken to the laboratory a pathologist describes how it looks, including the color, size, and other features. This is called a gross or microscopic examination.
MAKING A SLIDE:
Before further examination with a microscope, the pathologist or a technician prepares a slide. During this process, the specimen is cut into thin slices, called histologic sections, and stained with various dyes. These dyes show the parts of the cells. The pathologist or a technician places the sections on a glass slide and cover the slip-on top to hold the specimen in place. The pathologist then views the sections under a microscope. Following are the types of slides:
· Smear
·Permanent section
· Frozen section