Anatomopathology is a medical-technical department that specialises in making a diagnosis on the basis of microscopic examination of individual cells (cytology) or tissues (histology). Both body fluids and smears, small pieces of tissue (biopsies) and small and large surgical preparations are examined.
Determining the exact nature of a tumour (benign or malignant), specific classification, extent and prognostic characteristics. In addition to standard microscopic examination, additional techniques are often used (immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, molecular examination) for verification and/or further subclassification.
Inflammatory processes, autoimmune diseases, infectious diseases. Examples include inflammatory processes in the stomach (gastritis) based on Helicobacter Pylori, inflammatory bowel diseases such as Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis and inflammatory skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis.
Pap smears for cervical cancer prevention are screened in the lab. On this basis, cervical cancer precursors can be detected at an early stage. These pre-stages can be treated well. The human papillomavirus (HPV) that is usually responsible for the development of cervical cancer (or its precursors) can also be detected by molecular techniques in the lab.
In case of a natural death, an autopsy can be performed to obtain more information on the cause of death.
The anatomic pathology lab complies with the strict quality requirements of the ISO 15189 standard. The lab has been audited and accredited for this every year since 2014.
You can consult our Lab Guide (in Dutch) via the following link: Lab guide version 13.
