Frozen section of lung specimens

Abstract

Context: Frozen section of lung tissue is performed to guide the surgeon in subsequent therapy.

Design: Practical experience in frozen section of the lung was reviewed in the medical literature and from the records of several academic hospitals.

Results: Most frozen sections of the lung are performed for evaluation of a solitary nodule, a mass, or the surgical margins of a resection. Frozen section may also be used to assess the adequacy of a lung wedge biopsy taken for later diagnosis of a condition.

Conclusion: The pathologic evaluation of intraoperative pulmonary lesions is indicated for the differential diagnosis of pulmonary nodules and masses, both neoplastic and nonneoplastic, surgical resection margins, and mediastinal lymph nodes. The most worrisome pitfalls involve differentiating benign reactive atypia from malignancy on frozen section.