Ophthalmic histopathology samples – are we sending enough?

Purpose To ascertain the range of histopathological diagnoses made from tissues removed during ophthalmic surgical procedures over two years from one NHS Trust. During this period, joint recommendations were published by the Royal College of Pathologists (RCPath) and the Royal College of Ophthalmologists (RCOphth) in the United Kingdom, regarding the referral of ophthalmic pathology specimens, stating that in order to avoid delayed or missed diagnoses, with certain exceptions, all tissues obtained from ophthalmic surgical procedures should be sent for histopathological examination. This policy was implemented locally from January 2011. Methods This was a retrospective case note review of the ophthalmic histopathology specimens sent between January 2010 and December 2011, at the Mid Essex Hospital Services NHS Trust. Patient demographics and histopathological diagnoses were determined for each. Results Over the two‐year period, 268 specimens were sent for ophthalmic histopathological examination. In 2010, 112 samples were sent, with 18 malignancies detected (16.1%). In 2011, 156 samples were sent, with 30 malignancies identified (19.2%). The most common diagnosis was basal cell carcinoma, comprising 43/48 malignancies (89.6%). Conclusion Since the local implementation of the joint guidelines from the RCPath and RCOphth, there was an increase in the number of ophthalmic histopathology specimens sent within this Trust, with a 3.1% increase in the number of malignancies detected. We believe that this improvement in detection of ocular malignancies justifies the increased burden on the histopathology service from the ophthalmology unit within this Trust.