Unoriented skin ellipse grossing
The article deals with small unoriented skin ellipse grossing.
Punch biopsies and oriented skin ellipses are dealt with separately.
Introduction
These specimens are very common.
Protocol
- Name and patient identifiers on the requisition match the specimen container.
- Specimen labelled as: "[ ]".
- Specimen received in: [formalin/fresh].
- Type: unoriented portion of skin measuring [ ] x [ ] cm (in the plane of surface), by [ ] cm (depth).
- Inking: resection margin blue. †
- Lesion: [ brown ] colour, [ diffuse / patchy] with a [ regular / irregular ] border.
- Lesion dimensions: [ ] x [ ] cm (in the plane of surface), by [ ] cm (depth).
- Margins: [ ] peripheral cm, [ ] deep cm.
Serially section and submitted in toto:
- Block A1 - tips.
- Block A2 - remainder of specimen.
Protocol notes
† One should avoid black ink if there is any suspicion of melanoma or if the lesion is pigmented. This can be remember by black is bad and green is good!