Abstract
Background: India Ink is the most commonly used ink in surgical pathology. The main disadvantages of India Ink are longer drying time, monochrome, toxicity and cost. Because of these disadvantages, alternative materials have been suggested to replace India ink. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of nail enamel for inking of surgical margin and to compare it with India ink. Materials and methods: N = 20, which included 10 mucosal and 10 skin samples. Each selected margin is divided into 2 equal halves and one is inked with India ink and the other with nail enamel (Vernis A Ongles: Dark green). After routine processing and staining, the effectiveness of nail enamel and India ink were compared based on macroscopic and microscopic parameters. Results: Less drying time and visibility on paraffin wax block were excellent for nail enamel. Microscopic visibility of nail enamel was comparable with that of India ink. However, processing fluids contamination is the main drawback of nail enamel. Conclusion: Nail enamel can be used as an alternative to India ink because of its less drying time, ease of application, good visibility on wax blocks and microscopically, availability in multiple colours, cost effectiveness and non-toxicity.
Highlights
Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma (OSCC) is the most common malignancy of oral cavity and the 12th most common cancer in the world [1]
The application of both India ink and nail enamel were easy on the selected surgical margins
The drying time for India ink was found to be 17–20 min, which was comparatively higher when compared to drying time of nail enamel (7–10 min)
Summary
Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma (OSCC) is the most common malignancy of oral cavity and the 12th most common cancer in the world [1]. Precise macroscopic and histopathological analysis of resected specimens and surgical margins by pathologists is necessary for final diagnosis [3]. Tumour involvement of surgical margins of resected specimens has significant therapeutic and prognostic implications. Malignant lesions can extend beyond the macroscopic limits of surgical resection, which if not diagnosed accurately can result in poor prognosis [3]. In examining surgically excised tissues, it is often desirable to identify the orientation of the specimen permanently for both further gross examination and microscopic identification of resected surgical margins [4]. Several methods have been used for proper identification and orientation of resected margins in surgical pathology. Inking of surgical margins is the more reliable method than sectioning techniques and stitches/suture marker methods for identification of surgical
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