Histology (tissue for histology)

Pathology category

Cellular pathology

Code

Referral code

Request form

All orders to be submitted using ICE

Test information

The tests involve examining tissue under a microscope to study the architecture of cells and their organisation within the tissue. This process helps in diagnosing diseases, assessing the severity of conditions, and guiding treatment decisions.  Multiple tissue processes take place before being examined by a pathologist to idenity abnormalities such as cancer, inflammation, or infections.

Guidelines

Please ensure that any important information (e.g.type of specimen, site of specimen & clinical history) is clearly indicated on the form and ensure that any priority or urgent cases are marked as such.

Fixation – Immerse the specimen in an adequate volume of fixative immediately after collection & ensure proper fixation time to preserve tissue morphology.

Transportation–  Transport specimens in a leak proof bag together with the ICE request form. For more information please see Specimen Transport section

Pre-analytical

Tissue for histological examinaition must be placed in an appropriately sized formalin container and stored at room temperature prior to transport to the lab.

Any materials used in taking these samples must be discarded in an approved clinical waste and/or sharps container.

Reference range

Tube type

Tube type info

The size of the specimen container must be appropriate to the size of the specimen.

• Small specimens  –  Yellow/Orange Topped 60 mL Containers for biopsies and small resection e.g. skin ellipses, appendicies
• Routine specimens  – 350 mL White Topped “Honey Pots” – Suitable for larger specimens e.g. gall bladder, appendix, larger skin resections, femoral heads.
• Large resection specimens  – 1L/2.5L/5L and 10 L specimen buckets pre-filled with fixative are available for larger specimens.  e.g. bowel, uterus, breast tissue.
• “Mega” Specimen Buckets  –  The buckets should be collected from cellular pathology in advance of the surgery taking place.

Special requirements

If an urgent report is required it should be clearly identified or indicated on the request form. Urgent requests should be sent to Cellular Pathology via the porters without delay.

Hazardous Specimens – Specimens arising from patients with known or suspected transmissible diseases (e.g. tuberculosis, viral hepatitis, HIV) must be clearly labelled as such to prevent unnecessary risk to laboratory staff.

Minimum volume

Assay frequency

TAT Inpatient (urgent)

10 days

TAT Inpatient

10 days

TAT GP/Outpatient

10 days

Referral lab

Please note bone marrow trephine biopsies are referred to Birmingham Heartlands Hospital, medical renal biopsies are referred to Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham and ophthalmic specimens are referred to Royal Hallamshire Hospital in Sheffield.