Biopsy Fee ($100*) includes:
*price increase effective April 1, 2022
- Routine H&E processing
- Special stains (for bacteria, fungi etc), if needed
- Margin evaluation, if requested
- Please check the box ‘Yes’ that you would like the margins evaluated
- Decalcification of bone, as needed
- Up to 5 different sites from a single animal
- There is an additional charge of $20 if there are more than 5 biopsy sites (with the exception of multiple gastrointestinal and dermatologic biopsies which will be considered as one site).
There will be a $25.00 fee added if you would like your results reported sooner (STAT cases).
Microscopic descriptions and interpretations of lesions are typically reported within 72 hours.
- Results are reported by an automated fax
- If a fax machine is not available, results can be sent via U.S. Postal Service or e-mail
- Samples of bone, particularly digits and jaws with teeth, can take an extended period of time for decalcification, which will result in a substantial delay in reporting results (up to 2 weeks or more in some cases)
- If special stains or consultations with other pathologists are required, these additional steps may result in a delay in reporting results
Sample handling:
- Tissue samples should be placed in 10% neutral buffered formalin with at formalin to tissue ratio of 10:1
- Please do not try to formalin –fix large samples (spleen, limbs), just refrigerate them and have them delivered promptly to UT
- Please use only screw-top lids to avoid formalin spillage during transport
- Please do not use glass containers (to minimize the risk of breakage during transport)
- Please place the completed paperwork in a plastic bag to protect it in case of spillage during transport
- Samples can be mailed to UT, picked up by FedEx or the UT courier service
For examination of surgical excision (margins) we recommend:
- Painting the excisional margins with surgical marking dye prior to fixation (click here for detailed instructions)
- For larger skin masses (>3 cm diameter), partial transection from the skin side into the specimen approximately ¾ of the way through the sample (toward the deep margin) to improve fixation
- Marking the orientation of at least one margin (e.g. cranial, caudal, right or left lateral) by suture placement
