Frozen sections are performed for the purpose of rapid diagnosis while a patient is undergoing surgery, usually under general anesthesia, as a basis for making immediate treatment decisions. Therefore, frozen section diagnosis is often a highly demanding situation for the pathologist who must render a diagnosis quickly and a crucial determination for the patient and surgeon. In addition to the need for rapid recall of differential diagnoses, there are many pitfalls and artifacts that add to the risk of frozen section diagnosis that are not present with permanent sections of fully processed tissues that can be examined in a more leisurely fashion. Most standard pathology textbooks, both general and subspecialty, largely ignore the topic of frozen section. Few textbooks have ever focused exclusively on frozen section diagnosis and those textbooks that have done so are now out-of-date and have limited numbers of black and white figures. None has emphasized the education of the surgeon in terms of frozen section benefits, limitations or proper utilization. The Frozen Section Library series will provide convenient, user-friendly handbooks for each organ system to expedite use in the hurried frozen section situation. These books will be small and light-weight, copiously color illustrated with images of actual frozen sections, highlighting pitfalls, artifacts and differential diagnosis. These books will also include perspectives for the surgeon and for communication with the surgeon and suggest ancillary procedures (for example, when to take tissue for microbiology cultures). Each 5 X 8 book is estimated to be about 200 to 250 pages in toto with 100 to 150 color figures each. As a handbook for practicing pathologists, these books will be indispensable aids to diagnosis and avoiding dangers in one of the most challenging situations that pathologists encounter. Problems, such as differentiation of benign processes from malignant neoplasms which may be more difficult on frozen section than permanent section and which have a serious impact on the surgeon’s immediate treatment decisions, will be emphasized. Rapid consideration of differential diagnoses and how to avoid traps caused by frozen section artifacts will be readily accessible to the users of the handbooks. A series of concise, easy-to-use, well-illustrated handbooks alleviates the often frustrating and time-consuming, sometimes futile, process of searching through bulky textbooks that are unlikely to illustrate or discuss pathologic diagnoses from the perspective of frozen sections in the first place. Tables and charts will provide guidance for differential diagnosis of various histologic patterns. The advantages of a series of organ-specific handbooks, in addition to the ease-of-use and manageable size, is that (1) it allows more comprehensive coverage of more diagnoses, both common and rare, than a single volume that tries to highlight a limited number of diagnoses for each organ and (2) it allows more detailed insight by permitting experienced authorities to emphasize the peculiarities of frozen section for each organ system. Although some differences in practice of frozen section exist between different institutions, such as differing policies regarding whether or not to perform frozen section on specific types of specimens, these differences are generally not significant and can be discussed ( an organ-specific handbook by an expert in that organ system permits more opportunity for this type of discussion). Touch preparations, which are used for some organs such as central nervous system or thyroid more often than others, will be appropriately emphasized and illustrated according to the need for each specific organ. This series will be highly valuable to practicing surgical pathologists, both community and academic, and to pathology residents and fellows. The perspectives provided will also be valuable to surgeons and especially to surgery residents and fellows who must answer questions about pathology and frozen section on their board examinations. These handbooks will be easily portable by the individual but it is envisioned that many departments will want to also keep a series readily available in the frozen section laboratory.

Frozen sections are diagnosed by the pathologist while a patient is undergoing surgery, often under general anesthesia, for the purpose of rapid diagnosis which may be used to make immediate treatment decisions or to confirm that diagnostic tissues have been sampled for further study. As a result, frozen section diagnosis is often a highly demanding situation for the pathologist who must render a diagnosis quickly and is a basis for critical decisions to the surgeon. In addition to the need for rapid recall of differential diagnoses, there are many pitfalls and artifacts that add to the risk of frozen section diagnosis that are not present with permanent sections of fully processed tissues that can be examined in a more leisurely fashion. Most standard pathology textbooks, both general and subspecialty, largely ignore the topic of frozen section. Few textbooks have ever focused exclusively on frozen section diagnosis and those textbooks that have done so are now out-of-date and have limited numbers of black and white figures. Frozen Section Library: Pleura provides a convenient, user-friendly handbook to expedite use when performing intraoperative consultations on pleural specimens. This book is divided into chapters that emphasize the common questions that a pathologist must answer on frozen section examination and the pitfalls associated with those specific diagnoses. The diagnostic issues impacting immediate surgical decision-making are color illustrated and discussed succinctly, including a complex array of primary and secondary neoplasms of the pleura that have overlapping histologic features and the well-known problems of reactive atypia versus cancer in pleural tissue. As a handbook for practicing pathologists, this book is an indispensable aid to diagnosis and avoiding dangers in one of the most challenging situations that pathologists encounter. Rapid consideration of differential diagnoses and how to avoid traps caused by frozen section artifacts will be readily accessible to the users of this handbook. Tables provide guidance for various categories of differential diagnoses. Currently, there is no other up-to-date single-source reference specifically focused on frozen sections of the pleura. This book will be highly valuable to practicing surgical pathologists, both community and academic, and to pathology residents and fellows. The perspectives provided will also be valuable to thoracic surgeons and especially to surgery residents and thoracic surgery fellows who must answer questions about pathology and frozen section on their board examinations.

The Frozen Section Library series provides concise, user-friendly, site specific handbooks that are well illustrated and highlight the pitfalls, artifacts and differential diagnosis issues that arise in the hurried frozen section scenario. Frozen Section Library: Lymph Nodes highlights the usefulness of techniques such as touch preparation cytology and fine needle aspiration (FNA) cytology, as well as FNA biopsy. This fascicle also suggests proper handling for subsequent ancillary studies, including flow cytometric, cytogenetic, and molecular studies. Special emphasis is given to the limitations of frozen section diagnosis in lymph node pathology. All chapters are written by experts in their fields and include the most up to date scientific information. This book serves as a very useful resource for physicians in the frozen section room and in intra-operative consultation situations dealing with, and interested in, this very complex field of diagnostic pathology. Frozen Section Library: Lymph Nodes is of great value to pathologists, residents, and fellows who diagnose pathologic processes involving lymph nodes. Cherie H. Dunphy, M.D. is Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Executive Director of Hematopathology and Hematopathology Fellowship Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, NC.

Frozen sections are performed while a patient is undergoing surgery as a basis for making an immediate diagnosis that will impact treatment decisions. Frozen section diagnosis is often a highly demanding situation for the pathologist who must render a diagnosis quickly for the patient and surgeon. The Frozen Section Library series will provide concise, user-friendly, site specific handbooks that are well illustrated and highlight the pitfalls, artifacts and differential diagnosis issues that arise in the hurried frozen section scenario.

The Frozen Section Library series provides concise, user-friendly, site specific handbooks that are well illustrated and highlight the pitfalls, artifacts and differential diagnosis issues that arise in the hurried frozen section scenario. Written by expert surgical pathologists, Frozen Section Library: Endocrine Organs presents common and practical problems including follicular adenoma versus follicular carcinoma, papillary thyroid carcinoma versus reactive change and freezing artifact, follicular variant of papillary thyroid carcinoma, and medullary thyroid carcinoma. Anaplastic carcinoma, thyroid lymphoma, resection margin of a pancreatic endocrine tumor, pheochromocytoma within an adrenal gland and extra- adrenal gland, parathyroid tissue versus a thyroid tissue and versus a lymph node are also explored in detail. All chapters are illustrated with color pictures and accompanied legends. As a handbook for practicing pathologists, this volume is an indispensable aid to diagnosis and for avoiding dangers in one of the most challenging situations that pathologists encounter. Rapid consideration of differential diagnoses and how to avoid traps caused by frozen section artifacts are readily accessible. Tables and charts provide guidance for differential diagnosis of various histological patterns. Frozen Section Library: Endocrine Organs is a highly valuable guide for practicing surgical pathologists, both community and academic, and to pathology residents and fellows. Qihui "Jim" Zhai, MD, FCAP, is Professor of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Mayo Clinic Florida, Jacksonville, FL.

The Frozen Section Library series provides concise, user-friendly, site specific handbooks that are well illustrated and highlight the pitfalls, artifacts and differential diagnosis issues that arise in the hurried frozen section scenario. Frozen Section Library: Liver, Extrahepatic Biliary Tree and Gallbladder provides a convenient reference for use during intraoperative consultation. The volume addresses commonly encountered challenges, such as the diagnosis of primary and secondary hepatic neoplasms and assessment of gross abnormalities of the gallbladder. The assessment of frozen section biopsies for liver transplantation, a challenging and increasingly encountered situation, is detailed in the form of histologic criteria that should be reported. Emphasis is placed on the differential diagnoses of gross and microscopic findings with attention to potential pitfalls and artifacts encountered on frozen section. gross and microscopic images are provided as well as user-friendly tables for quick reference.