Bone grossing techniques: helpful hints and procedures

Ann Diagn Pathol 12(3):8 (2008) PMID 18486895

The present article is intended to offer pathologists and pathology residents helpful hints and procedures as well as some general approaches to technical questions of bone grossing in a surgical pathology laboratory. An emphasis on the personal experience of the author in grossing bones has been made. Three main conditions determine successful gross bone sections: specimen immobilization, the appropriate cutting instrument, and correct specimen orientation. From the technical point of view, the most important seems to be immobilization. A variety of devices and gadgets can be used to make the bone specimen stable while sectioning. Among them, hard-pressed cardboard cartons are the most helpful. They have the advantage in complicated bone specimens to allow the grossing person to cut through the immobilization device, thus assuring a complete section. There are definite particularities in technical approaches to different bone specimens. Even a femoral head, the most popular specimen, requires different grossing techniques depending on the clinical circumstances. Examples of grossing techniques for different bone specimens are described in detail. The technique can be applied in similar clinical situations to other bone specimens.