Gross Photography, Intro to Surg

Why is inking a specimen important, what are the inks indicating?

Mark important orientation, anatomical landmarks, lesions, margins

Inking a specimen procedure steps:

Apply ink as designated in the gross description

Repeatedly dab excess ink from the specimen

ALLOW TO DRY

Use vinegar as a mordant, allow vinegar to stand on the ink for 10-15 seconds

Allow ink to dry before making any cuts

Why is it bad to cut into tissue when the ink is not dry yet?

Wet ink could be dragged through an area it shouldn’t be, creating a false margin

What is the purpose of gross photography?

Alternative way of presenting of augmenting gross findings

What must accompany an official gross photograph?

The associated gross description

What are some reasons a PA would use gross photography?

Document interesting gross findings

Support publications for research or case studies

To record medicolegal cases/ damage to hardware

What are the guidelines for gross photography?

Clean background

Centered

Ruler for scale

Patient identification

Take one picture showing the specimen

Take another photo (macro)

Save the photo

What is the rule for sampling a tumor?

1 section per 1 cm

For every 1 cm of tumor, the PA would submit 1 section

If you receive a 16 cm by 14 cm by 10 cm mass, then you need to submit how many sections?

16 sections of the mass

What is tumor mapping?

An entire face of the tumor is submitted

the photo of the tumor face is taken

The location and exact sections are indicated on the photo by the PA

The pathologist can easily follow where sections were taken

What kind of specimens typically have a tumor map?

Osteosarcoma

Prostate

Breast

Vulvectomy

Tumor mapping and the gross description

Be specific

Describe tumor

Assess margins

Outline each section taken (refer to attached diagram)