Histopathology

The Histopathology department receives tissue specimens from patients, taken at either surgical operations or post-mortem examination. Diseases such as cancer are diagnosed by looking for abnormal features in tissue cells. Examinations of the tissues and organs are made to determine diagnosis and information on further treatment. The specimens are processed and thin sections cut and stained for microscopical examination by histopathologists to determine the presence of underlying disease.

The Histology Department provides diagnostic histopathology services for the South Birmingham District and also supports the activities of the Regional Gynaecological Oncology Centre(RGOC), based at the Birmingham Women’s Hospital. The department also provides a tertiary referral service. The service includes rapid paraffin and frozen section services. All tissue received from patients either in OPD Clinics or in theatre are forwarded to the department for a diagnostic report. The Department is also a recognised Regional Perinatal Centre providing service to the rest of the West Midlands region. Mortuary and Post Mortem services are also available. The quality of the service is continually maintained by implementing recognised effective internal quality control measures, participation in Clinical Pathology Accreditation and External Quality Assurance schemes.

Further Information

Histopathology User Guide

Information for Parents Considering Giving Consent for a PM

Royal College of Pathologists

This page was last modified on Fri Mar 02 2012