Smears and Frozen Sections in Surgical Neuropathology

Book excerpt: The 678 page book is a highly illustrated guide for the intra-operative interpretation of central nervous system surgical specimens. Both of the two principal techniques - smear preparations and frozen sections - are described in great detail. Introductory chapters address general approaches to specimen acquisition and preparation; specific clinical and radiological features; differential diagnosis by site; tumor and non-tumor entities with specific pathological features; and normal cells and tissues potentially mistaken for abnormalities. The bulk of the text describes specific clinicopathological entities, in over 80 chapters. Most of the latter present bulleted summaries of clinical and radiological features, similarly formatted sections on cytological (smear preparations) and histological (frozen sections) findings, and detailed differential diagnoses. There are over 1500 illustrations, including radiological images, operative photographs, and, largely, color photomicrographs of smears and frozen sections. Throughout, the book illustrates the practical aspects of real-time, real-world cytological and histological diagnoses. The book is a unique resource derived from the author's over three decades of experience in the intra-operative diagnosis of central nervous system lesions. Designed primarily for pathologists, it will be extremely useful for neurosurgeons as well, in their formulations of a differential diagnoses based of lesions' sites, radiological anatomy, and pathological features.