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OBJECTIVE: To achieve a clinicopathologic classification of Spitz nevi by comparing their clinical, dermoscopic, and histopathologic features. DESIGN: Eighty-three cases were independently reviewed by 3 histopathologists and preliminarily classified into classic or desmoplastic Spitz nevus (CDSN, n = 11), pigmented Spitz nevus (PSN, n = 14), Reed nevus (RN, n = 16), or atypical Spitz nevus (ASN, n = 14); the remaining 28 cases were then placed into an intermediate category (pigmented Spitz-Reed nevus, PSRN) because a unanimous diagnosis of either PSN or RN was not reached. SETTING: University dermatology and pathology departments and general hospital pathology departments. PATIENTS: A sample of subjects with excised melanocytic lesions. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Frequency of dermoscopic patterns within the different histopathologic subtypes of Spitz nevi. RESULTS: Overlapping clinical, dermoscopic, and histopathologic findings were observed among PSN, RN, and PSRN, thereby justifying their inclusion into the single PSRN diagnostic category. Asymmetry was the most frequent indicator of histopathologic ASN (79%; n = 11); in only 4 cases did dermoscopic asymmetry show no histopathologic counterpart, and in those cases the discrepancy was probably the result of an artifact of the gross sampling technique carried out with no attention to the dermoscopic features. CONCLUSIONS: Among Spitz nevi, histopathologic distinction between PSN and RN is difficult, not reproducible, and may be clinically useless. A simple clinicopathologic classification of these neoplasms might therefore be structured as CDSN, PSRN, and ASN. Asymmetry should be assessed using both dermoscopic and histopathologic analysis, and reliability in histopathologic diagnosis may be enhanced by the simultaneous evaluation of the corresponding dermoscopic images.
The department of Pathology at Kawasaki Medical School was destined, from the outset of its foundation, to be one of clinical departments. To discuss the role of pathology as clinical medicine, the actual state of our department is described here with reference to its organization, principles, and quality assurance program in both surgical pathology service and hospital practice. The department at School also functions as a hospital pathology department and handles 10,000 surgical and 18,000 cytology materials as well as about 180 autopsies per year. Examination of the tissues and organs removed from the patients is wholly entrusted to our department in its full responsibility. All the tissue sections are examined by multiple certified pathologists and reports are returned by the third day. Case reviews are regularly done by peer reviewers and through the conferences held between pathology and relevant clinical departments. The latter conferences serve as a medical audit in the hospital as well. The pathologists sometimes participate in the performance of aspiration cytology, and muscle and nerve biopsy. It is hoped that the description of our experience in surgical pathology will provide some insights on the improvement of the system to concerned readers and cause lively discussion on this matter.
Diagnostic errors account for one-fifth of lawsuits against hospitals and physicians. Of greatest concern is the rising severity of lawsuits alleging diagnostic errors--over a 12-year period the average indemnity for these claims has risen by 258%. The hospital departments most affected are the emergency room, obstetrics, radiology and pathology. This article probes the structure of diagnostic errors and makes recommendations how to reduce the frequency and severity of these claims.
The Hinsdale Sanitarium and Hospital Pathology Department installed a Pathlab (The MEDLAB Company) Laboratory Information System (LIS) in October of 1977. Acquisition of the system was based upon a study. "Justification for a Laboratory Information System", prepared in October 1976. This report presents findings on the evaluation of this system after 2 1/2 years of operation in relationship to the initial objectives developed in the justification study. The impact of the system on personnel (intra- and extradepartmental) as it relates to daily activities was also considered. The effectiveness of the system in contributing to the goals of improving the operation and management of the laboratory by enhancing communication of our services toward quality patient care was carefully studied through users' opinion surveys evaluation. The evaluation plan is developed by first describing the initial basic system, initial costs, and the impact of continuing cost to the institution (service, software modification, etc.). The department's problem areas were identified along with deviations from the justification expectations of the LIS. The conditions existing currently and attitudes of user personnel toward the system were surveyed at all levels of the institution. The survey revealed that 20 (87%) of 23 specific goals or expectations stated in the original justification report were satisfied. There was a partial achievement of 2 objectives (8.7%), and 1 (4.3%) was not achieved. The survey also revealed a net annual cost reduction of 128,756 as a result of the LIS. Payback period to recover the entire systems's cost is estimated at 4.0 years. This includes all purchased hardware and software to date.
OBJECTIVE: As a part of a quality assurance program in anatomic pathology, a study was conducted to determine intralaboratory components of turnaround time according to specimen type, and to compare the present data with results obtained 2 years after implementing the program. DESIGN: Assessment of intralaboratory turnaround times for surgical pathology reports in a sample of 501 biopsies and surgical specimens during 1992. Comparison between the basal data obtained in 1992 and the final determination in 1994 after the implementation of an improvement action. SETTING: Surgical specimens and biopsies accessioned at the Department of Anatomic Pathology of a 913-bed acute-care teaching hospital in the city of Barcelona, Spain. STUDY SAMPLES AND PARTICIPANTS: The sample was selected from the total number of biopsies and surgical specimens accessioned on specific days by applying a table of random numbers. Data were collected from the request forms, final report copies, and laboratory registries of turnaround time-points by two resident physicians. INTERVENTIONS: All relevant information concerning turnaround times was recorded following a standardized questionnaire developed specifically for the study. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The basal determination for turnaround time for pathologic diagnosis in 1992 was 5.7 days. RESULTS: The mean turnaround time for the 501 specimens was 6.24 (SD = 3.16; range = 2-27 days). Turnaround times varied substantially according to specimen type. Endoscopic biopsy samples were completed by 5.19 days (SD = 2.18). Bone biopsies were finalized within a mean of 8.11 days of receipt (SD = 3.18). For the diagnosis of lymphoproliferative disorders, most lymph node specimens required special histochemical or immunohistochemical stains. The mean turnaround time for results reporting/results transmittal to the ordering physician varied between 1.14 and 1.66 days. The 1992 annual mean turnaround time for a total of 14,862 surgical pathology specimens was 5.7 days as compared with 4.2 days for a total of 17,931 surgical pathology specimens in 1994.
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What will be the fate of future generations of hospital-based pathologists? In the next few years, the author of this article foresees a new breed of MD emerging from the laboratory. This up-and-coming pathologist must be a skilled practitioner of medicine, yet one who wears many hats. He must have earned the respect of his clinical colleagues, kept abreast of the rapidly changing technology at his disposal, and discovered a balance for the role pathology must play for the patient and society.
Following two pilot studies, Clinical Pathology Accreditation (CPA) accreditation was introduced to UK pathology laboratories in 1992. Since then, significant numbers of laboratories have undergone accreditation but many have never applied. We carried out a postal survey of 145 accredited laboratories in the UK to independently determine the opinions of laboratory managers/clinicians about CPA and whether accreditation had produced any significant benefits to pathology services. Ninety-three replies were received (64 per cent) a good response to an unsolicited questionnaire. Most laboratories felt accreditation by CPA had resulted in better laboratory performance with more documentation and better health and safety and training procedures. CPA accreditation was believed to provide useful information by approximately 50 per cent of laboratories but was also felt by a significant proportion of laboratories to be over-bureaucratic, inefficient and expensive (46 of 93 respondents). Many complaints were voiced about the excessive paperwork that CPA generated and there was also a significant body of opinion that felt that CPA assessed areas were the domain of other regulatory bodies such as the CPSM, IBMS and HSE.
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relation between temporal artery biopsy (TAB) length and diagnostic sensitivity for giant cell arteritis. METHODS: Histological TAB reports generated from four hospital pathology departments were reviewed for demographics, histological findings, and formalin fixed TAB lengths. A biopsy was considered positive for giant cell arteritis if there was a mononuclear cell infiltrate predominating at the media-intima junction or in the media. RESULTS: Among 1821 TAB reports reviewed, 287 (15.8%) were excluded because of missing data, sampling errors, or age < 50 years. Mean TAB length of the 1520 datasets finally analysed (67.2% women; mean (SD) age, 73.1 (10.0) years) was 1.33 (0.73) cm. Histological evidence of giant cell arteritis was found in 223 specimens (14.7%), among which 164 (73.5%) contained giant cells. Statistical analyses, including piecewise logistic regression, identified 0.5 cm as the TAB length change point for diagnostic sensitivity. Compared with TAB length of < 0.5 cm, the respective odds ratios for positive TAB without and with multinucleated giant cells in samples > or = 0.5 cm long were 5.7 (95% confidence interval, 1.4 to 23.6) and 4.0 (0.97 to 16.5). CONCLUSIONS: A fixed TAB length of at least 0.5 cm could be sufficient to make a histological diagnosis of giant cell arteritis.
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This article describes how benchmarking can be used to assess laboratory performance. Two benchmarking schemes are reviewed, the Clinical Benchmarking Company's Pathology Report and the College of American Pathologists' Q-Probes scheme. The Clinical Benchmarking Company's Pathology Report is undertaken by staff based in the clinical management unit, Keele University with appropriate input from the professional organisations within pathology. Five annual reports have now been completed. Each report is a detailed analysis of 10 areas of laboratory performance. In this review, particular attention is focused on the areas of quality, productivity, variation in clinical practice, skill mix, and working hours. The Q-Probes scheme is part of the College of American Pathologists programme in studies of quality assurance. The Q-Probes scheme and its applicability to pathology in the UK is illustrated by reviewing two recent Q-Probe studies: routine outpatient test turnaround time and outpatient test order accuracy. The Q-Probes scheme is somewhat limited by the small number of UK laboratories that have participated. In conclusion, as a result of the government's policy in the UK, benchmarking is here to stay. Benchmarking schemes described in this article are one way in which pathologists can demonstrate that they are providing a cost effective and high quality service.