Pathology is the branch of medicine that analyzes the macroscopic and microscopic changes that affect the human body tissues , and which are caused by disease processes in the organs. By analyzing the alterations found, the pathological anatomy aims to provide an interpretation of the various clinical manifestations of the disease and make a diagnosis . It uses tests conducted to identify or ascertain the cause of death (post mortem) . To make diagnoses of pathologies in progress and to determine techniques and choices of surgical therapy, this branch of medicine makes use of analysis of biopsies or surgical samples .
What does the anatomopathologist do?
The pathologist is a doctor who specializes in pathological anatomy. The main role of this specialist is to formulate disease diagnosis through micro and macroscopic examination of tissues. Beyond that the anatonomopathologist plays a key role in the field of oncology . In fact, this specialist performs tests on tissue samples taken from the patient’s body, allowing specific and correct therapy to be formulated.
What are the pathologies most often treated by the pathologist?
This specialist normally comes into contact with various pathologies, especially in the case of conducting histological / cytological examinations and autopsies , which are two of the procedures he most frequently uses. From the point of view of the analyzes conducted on tissue samples, the pathologies most often treated by the anatomopathologist are undoubtedly the oncological ones. In order to understand the type of tumor , and therefore to prescribe a correct and specific therapy, in fact it is necessary to subject the tissue samples taken to anatomopathological examination.
What are the procedures most used by the pathologist?
The procedures most used by the pathologist are:
- microscopic diagnostic tests on cells present in samples of material of different origins: organic liquids, secretions, cytodiagnostics (endocavitary spills);
- histopathology (biopsies and examinations of tissue samples taken during surgery);
- autoptic diagnostics (post mortem tests and autopsies)
