WVU has extremely active programs in ENT, OB-GYN, Pediatric, Cardio-thoracic, and general surgical oncology. The remaining cases are comprised of a wide variety of neoplastic and non-neoplastic conditions. The majority of which are skin, OB-GYN and GI. This location is exceptionally convenient because it allows for easy access to surgeons and surgical residents.Īpproximately 40% of the surgical pathology workload consists of biopsy specimens. The surgical pathology lab is located on the 5th floor of Ruby Memorial Hospital, just outside of the main operating room area. The majority of specimens are processed in the Gross Surgical Pathology Lab. From here, the pathologist makes his or her final diagnosis.Įach year, the WVU Department of Pathology processes approximately 30,000 surgical specimens a significant number of these are complex resections. After the dissection is complete, certain portions of tissue are submitted to the histology laboratory where they are turned into glass slides that can be viewed under a microscope.

Depending on the type of specimen, ranging from small biopsies to amputations and large tumors, a specific protocol is used to dissect each and every specimen. The Gross Room is the pathology laboratory where specimens are processed and handled on a routine basis. Surgical pathology provides surgeons and various clinicians with important diagnoses and other relevant information, often crucial to a patient’s treatment, prognosis and overall care.