Turnaround times
The quoted turnaround time is from sample receipt in the laboratory, to results authorisation in the Laboratory Information Management system. The times do not include transport of specimen to the laboratory or the administrative process to print and post/email reports. Service users must allow for transport and reporting time when ordering tests.
Clinical background:
Histopathology, the microscopic study of diseased tissue, is an important tool in anatomical pathology, since accurate diagnosis of cancer and other diseases usually requires histopathological examination of samples. Pathologists are the personnel who perform histopathological examination and provide diagnostic information based on their observations.
Specimen container paediatric:
Buffered formalin in 60 ml pots for small biopsies or larger pots available from our specimen reception. Paraffin wax embedded block or 4µ sections on coated slides
Specimen container adult:
Buffered formalin* in 60 ml pots for small biopsies or larger pots available from our specimen reception.
*Please note, some samples (see below) require submission with NO fixation.
Special requirements:
The following MUST be sent FRESH, NOT in fixative.
They should all be marked URGENT and dispatched as soon as possible.
Urgent intraoperative frozen sections
Skin biopsies for Immunofluorescence
Muscle biopies
Nerve biopsies
Please contact the laboratory for special requirements.
Sample stability:
Biopsies in formalin are stable at room temperature.
Transport requirements:
Please dispatch – DON’T Batch! The sooner we receive the samples, the shorter will be the overall turnaround time for the report