INTRAOPERATIVE FROZEN SECTION ANALYSIS IN A SECONDARY CARE HOSPITAL

AUTHORS:
M. Arbogast (Cologne, Germany) , H. Alakus (Cologne, Germany) , A. Schultheis (Cologne, Germany) , C.J. Bruns (Cologne, Germany) , C. Chiapponi (Cologne, Germany)
Background:
The sensitivity of intraoperative frozen section (FS) is influenced by the experience of the surgeon requiring and by that of the pathologist delivering FS analysis. We analyzed FS performance in a secondary care hospital, sharing thyroid surgeon and pathology with the nearby university hospital.
Methods:
Indications, results and consequences of all thyroid FS performed between 01.01.20201 and 31.12.2022 were critically reviewed.
Results:
FS was performed in 90 (26.5%) of 340 procedures. Malignancy was diagnosed in 21 (23.3%) of tumors and confirmed by final histology in all cases. In seven cases (10.1%) in which FS encountered no clear signs of malignancy a thyroid carcinoma was diagnosed by final histology. All tumors were follicular variant PTCs. In three cases no FS was performed but a thyroid carcinoma was diagnosed by final histology. Two-staged surgery was necessary in 10 (15.8%) carcinomas.
Conclusions:
FS Sensitivity in a secodary care hospital sharing surgical and pathologic experience with a university hospital is 75% and mainly reduced by the prevalence of follicular variant PTC.