Discrepancies between intraop frozen section and final pathology reports

Editor's Note

Applying a classification tool to identify process and cognitive errors leading to discrepancies between intraoperative frozen section diagnoses and final pathology reports, researchers found that the rate of discrepancies is small and the source of discrepancies varied between organ systems and specific organs.

Of 1,042 frozen sections examined, differences between initial and final evaluations were found in 4.6% of cases, and in those cases it was rare to find any difference that could have affected treatment decisions, the authors say.

A total of 54% of discrepancies were because of process errors, and 46% were due to interpretation errors. 

Discrepancies between intraoperative consultations with frozen section diagnosis and the final pathology report have the potential to alter treatment decisions and affect patient care. Monitoring these correlations is a key component of laboratory quality assurance, however identifying specific areas for improvement can be difficult to attain.