Frozen section diagnosis in pediatric surgical pathology: a decade's experience in a children's hospital.

Abstract

Abstract Context.—Intraoperative consultations, including frozen sections (FSs), are essential for patient care and are a key quality component in anatomic pathology. Little data exists about the use, frequency, and type of discrepancies and deferral rates of FS diagnoses in pediatric and adolescent surgical pathology. Objective.—The purpose of this study was to analyze indications, discrepancies, and deferrals for all FSs performed at a children's hospital during a 10-year period. Design.—All FSs for 1995–2004 were reviewed for indications, discrepancies, deferred diagnoses, and turnaround time. Discrepancies were categorized into major and minor subtypes according to potential impact on patient care. Results.—A total of 35 611 surgical pathology cases were accessioned, with 2839 intraoperative consultations, which included 2783 FSs and 56 nonmicroscopic consultations. Most frequent indications included questions related to neoplasms (tumor detection, specimen adequacy, triage, classification, and margin...