Pathology and Clinical Practice

Histopathology

Track 14: Histopathology

In clinical medicine, histopathology refers to the microscopic examination of various forms of a biopsy or surgical specimen by a pathologist, after the specimen has been processed and histological sections have been placed onto glass slides. The examination of tissues starts with surgery, biopsy, or autopsy. The tissue is removed from the body of an organism and then placed in a fixative (formalin) that stabilizes the tissues to prevent decay. The sections must be stained with one or more pigments to see the tissue under a microscope. Staining is done to reveal cellular components; counterstains are used to provide contrast.