Do pathologists do FNAs or bone marrow biopsies?

[beary]

How common is it for pathologists to do these procedures?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[LADoc00]

How common is it for pathologists to do these procedures?

Common, next question.

 

[bente]

Common, next question.

How often does a bone histo look malignant, when in fact, it is not? For example, biopsies done of lesions that shouldn't have been biopsied (like desmoid that is mistaken for a ?paraosteal osteosarcoma). Not sure if I'm being clear.

 

[yaah]

How often does a bone histo look malignant, when in fact, it is not? For example, biopsies done of lesions that shouldn't have been biopsied (like desmoid that is mistaken for a ?paraosteal osteosarcoma). Not sure if I'm being clear.

This is why you insist on at least a radiology report and an appropriate clinical history.

 

[LADoc00]

How often does a bone histo look malignant, when in fact, it is not? For example, biopsies done of lesions that shouldn't have been biopsied (like desmoid that is mistaken for a ?paraosteal osteosarcoma). Not sure if I'm being clear.

Often, especially when its unclear whether the patient has a healing fracture callous or a true pathologic fracture.

 

[Mrbojangles]

I think it's often institution dependent. It's either IM or peds hematologist/oncologists or hematopathologists doing bone marrow biopsies. At my hospital I haven't seen pathologists do bone marrow biopsies. For FNAs it's either surgeons, radiologists (for stereotactic CT guided FNAs), or cytopathologists who do FNAs. But while I was on the interview trail at some institutions the cytopathologists don't do ANY FNAs because of billing purposes i.e. clinicians get billed more FNAs than a pathologist would.