IN ROUTINE DIAGNOSTIC PRACTICE, HOW MANY SECTIONS SHOULD WE EXAMINE FROM CASES OF PRODUCTS OF CONCEPTION

In order to determine whether a single representative section taken fr om routine specimens of products of conception would contain sufficien t material to trigger a more comprehensive search for the features of a hydatidiform mole, cases of gestational trophoblastic disease submit ted over a five year period were reviewed. Partial hydatidiform moles were either suspected or diagnosed on the first histological section i n 46 (92%) cases. In the remaining four cases, although abundant place ntal tissue showing diagnostic features was available in later blocks, most of the tissue in the first block consisted of endometrial tissue with only occasional chorionic villi being identified. The current st udy shows that a molar gestation can be suspected after examining a si ngle tissue block, providing that it contains a representative number of chorionic villi. If a molar pregnancy is suspected clinically or pa thologically, additional blocks should be examined to secure the diagn osis and classify the condition.