Metastatic lesions
Skin metastases of non-primary skin tumours are extremely rare in dogs and cats and only sporadic cases have been reported in the literature. In certain cases, cutaneous metastases may be…
Collection, preparation and staining of cytology specimens
2.1 Materials • Needles (21–25G) and syringes (2–10 ml) for fine-needle sampling of cutaneous and subcutaneous masses with/without aspiration. • Cotton swabs, ideally dampened with saline, for swab sampling. • Glass slides, possibly…
Skin and subcutis anatomy
5.1 Main Components of the Skin and Subcutis Epidermis The epidermis is mostly composed of keratinocytes. It also contains melanocytes, Langerhans cells (histiocytes) and pressure-sensing Merkel cells. It is formed…
Guidelines to cytology smear examination
A correct approach to slide examination is considered crucial for an appropriate interpretation of cytological samples and to reduce the chances of missing important details. A poor and superficial examination…
Guide to the choice and correct use of the microscope (Ian Baldwin)
(Ian Baldwin) The optical microscope is as important to the pathologist now as it was 100 years ago (and surprisingly still similar in function and use). Choosing an instrument of…
Cytological criteria of malignancy
In tumour cytology, cells are evaluated for the presence of morphological alterations compared with the normal cells from which they originate. When present, these changes are referred to as criteria…
