Greetings
The Department of Diagnostic Pathology has been a certified medical department since 2008. Specific duties include diagnosing the presence or absence of tumors from cell images of sputum, urine, and puncture specimens submitted by patients (cytology), and diagnosing the type of inflammation and the presence or absence of tumors from tissue samples collected using a gastroscope or bronchoscope, and if tumors are present, whether they are benign or malignant (histological examination). Although we do not meet patients directly, we strive every day to be of service to them through their primary physicians.
During surgery, we examine cytological images to see if the tumor has spread to the pleural effusion or ascites, and report this to the attending physician (intraoperative rapid cytology), as well as confirm whether the targeted lesion has been properly removed during surgery and whether the extent of resection is appropriate (intraoperative rapid histological biopsy).After surgery, we examine the submitted specimens and communicate the extent, progression, and malignancy of the lesion to the attending physician, so that future treatment can proceed smoothly.
In the unfortunate event that a patient passes away, with the consent of the bereaved family, we conduct a pathological autopsy to verify whether the diagnosis was correct and the treatment was appropriate, and strive to provide this information to the patient's family as well as to provide as much useful information as possible to future patients.With no bias towards any particular medical department, we perform approximately 10,000 histological examinations and 14,000 cytological examinations per year, treating a wide range of diseases from tumors to inflammatory diseases, and aim to be an all-round player in pathological diagnosis.
Characteristics and Initiatives
Like other clinical departments, our department works closely with the Kyoto University Faculty of Medicine, and all of our pathologists are dispatched from the Kyoto University Faculty of Medicine's Department of Diagnostic Pathology. Our residents are also physicians who have participated in the Kyoto University Faculty of Medicine's Pathology Specialist Training Program. While pathological diagnosis is based on morphological diagnosis, modern pathological diagnosis requires the confirmation of differentiation direction and phenotypic expression using immunohistochemistry. Our department possesses approximately 120 types of immunohistochemistry antibodies, which we use as needed for diagnosis. However, with recent advances in diagnostic pathology, new antibodies are constantly being released, making it difficult for a community hospital to maintain all of them. For specimens that we cannot cover, we request the Kyoto University Faculty of Medicine's Department of Diagnostic Pathology to perform the staining, ensuring uninterrupted diagnosis.
Regarding diagnosis, the final diagnosis is always confirmed by a pathologist, and a certain number of cases are double-checked by two pathologists in an effort to maintain diagnostic standards. For difficult cases, we strive to provide high-quality diagnoses by using the Japanese Society of Pathology's consultation system or by consulting with experts in the field with whom we have close ties.
About pathological diagnosis
Business performance (treatment performance, academic societies, publications, research activities, etc.)
