definitive data for medical audit; determine effectiveness of clinical treatment to better treatment of other patients

screening process to assist in early diagnosis of disease before symptoms; uses non-invasive/minimally invasive techniques (low risk); aka PAP smear

the cutting out of tissue;

a small piece of tissue used for diagnosis; punch = bigger bore, or needle biopsy; cells are attached to their neighbours; type of excision

to cut out (appendectomy)

to cut, but not out (lobotomy)

to create an artificial opening (colostomy uses a by-pass around the damaged part of the colon)

to look at (colonoscopy)

to take fluid or tissue out by suction; example bone marrow aspiration; sometimes via washing in cytology;

Fine Needle Aspiration

the examination and dissection of a dead body to determine the cause of death and changes caused by disease; if on a human, by a human it is called "autopsy"

pathologist, pathology assistant, medical laboratory technologist

fixation, grossing, dehydration, clearing, infiltration, embedding, cutting, staining

dehydration, clearing, and infiltration; VIP = vacuum infiltration processor

transmitted light (light passes through the specimen)