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About Biopsy Specimens

After your tissue sample, or “biopsy specimen,” arrives in the pathology lab, it is:

  • Visually inspected
  • Weighed and measured
  • Assigned a unique number

Preparing Your Specimen for Testing

It is then:

  • Preserved in special fluids
  • Embed it in special wax called paraffin
  • Cut it into thin slices and examined under the microscope

We also use other testing techniques when necessary.

Determining the Results

After examining your sample, we:

The process usually takes 48 to 72 hours from biopsy to diagnosis, but in some cases, it may take longer.

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