Bread loafing

Bread Loafing
Illustration of Bread Loafing in tissue samples
Specialty	Pathology
Causes	Surgical excision
Diagnostic method	Histopathology

Bread loafing is a term used in pathology to describe a method of processing tissue samples during biopsy or surgical excision. This technique involves slicing the tissue into parallel sections, similar to slicing a loaf of bread, before further examination under a microscope. Bread loafing is commonly employed in the examination of larger tissue specimens, where it is crucial to assess the architecture and margins of the sample comprehensively.

Technique

The bread loafing technique involves the systematic slicing of tissue specimens at regular intervals to ensure that the entire specimen is adequately represented in the slices prepared for histopathology. This method allows pathologists to examine the relationship between different tissue components and to assess for the presence of disease at the margins of the specimen.

Applications

Bread loafing is particularly useful in the examination of excisional biopsies of the skin, such as those performed for melanoma or other skin cancers. It is also employed in the assessment of surgical margins in the resection of tumors, to ensure that no malignant cells are left at the edges of the excised tissue.

Advantages

• Comprehensive Examination: Allows for a thorough examination of the specimen's architecture and margins.
• Disease Assessment: Facilitates the assessment of the presence and extent of disease within the tissue.

Limitations

• Sampling Error: There is a risk of missing small foci of disease if they are not included in the slices taken for examination.
• Time-Consuming: The process can be time-consuming, especially for large specimens.

See Also

• Frozen section procedure
• Histopathology
• Excisional biopsy
• Surgical pathology

Resources

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Source: Data courtesy of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Since the data might have changed, please query MeSH on Bread loafing for any updates.

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