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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 17, 2026

CUBIC Protocol Visualizes Protein Expression at Single Cell Resolution in Whole Mount Skin Preparations
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Published on: August 4, 2016

Prospective step sections for small skin biopsies.

Andrea K Bruecks1, Jill M Shupe, Martin J Trotter

  • 1Calgary Laboratory Services, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2L 2K8. andrea.bruecks@cls.ab.ca

Archives of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine
|January 18, 2007
PubMed
Summary

Prospective step sections for small skin biopsies improve diagnostic accuracy and reduce turnaround time. This method is cost-neutral and changes the diagnosis in 7% of cases, enhancing dermatopathology workflow.

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Area of Science:

  • Dermatopathology
  • Histopathology
  • Laboratory Medicine

Background:

  • Standard practice involves preparing three slides from small skin biopsies or curetted specimens prior to dermatopathological review.
  • Prospective step sections are routinely prepared in our laboratory before case review.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the effectiveness of prospective step sections in enhancing diagnostic accuracy.
  • To assess the impact of prospective step sections on laboratory turnaround time.

Main Methods:

  • A retrospective study of 500 consecutive small skin biopsy cases was conducted.
  • Three slides, each containing 4-6 sections at 50-microm intervals, were prepared from each paraffin block before slide review.

Main Results:

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  • Initially nondiagnostic slides (n=58) were resolved with step sections in 19 cases.
  • Deeper levels led to a change in diagnosis in 15 additional cases (3%), improving accuracy in 34 cases (7%) overall.
  • An additional 23% of cases would have required deeper levels for clarification or exclusion of other lesions, totaling 30% requiring deeper levels.

Conclusions:

  • Prospective step sections are cost-neutral and improve case turnaround time by 9% to 45%.
  • This technique alters the diagnosis in 7% of small skin biopsy specimens, significantly improving diagnostic yield.