Pathology 101

Dr. Selk interviews Dr. Tania Day, a gynecologist in Newcastle, Australia with a PhD in the pathology of lichen planus, about vulvovaginal pathology. Discussion topics include where to take biopsies and what areas to avoid, when to use different biopsy types, what to write on pathology requisitions, advantages of reading pathology descriptions, interpreting pathology patterns (psoriasiform, spongiotic, lichenoid, etc.), and information on resources to learn more. Dr. Day also answers questions including do steroids mask diagnoses/should clinicians hold off on steroids before taking a biopsy, why do lichen planus biopsies often return a non-specific result, what to do when your biopsy result doesn't make sense, and are there specialized vulvar pathologists?