FAQs

The lab pathologists do not see patients. If you are a patient, please contact UCLA Oral Medicine at (310) 825-8083 or Oral Surgery at (310) 825-0834.

Most soft tissue specimens are processed, examined, and reports finalized within 48 hours of receipt. Reports are sent via fax or email (encrypted) on the same day or the next business day. Specimens requiring special stains or involving hard tissue may take longer to complete.

Each specimen is assigned an accession number upon arrival and the tissue is placed in a cassette before sending for histological processing, paraffin embedding and processing to mount the tissue sections on glass slides. Prepared slides are returned the next morning, after which the pathologist reviews the case and dictates the report. Once finalized, the report is signed and sent to the provider via fax or encrypted email, with a hard copy mailed for their records.

If any key information is missing, our staff will first contact the provider to obtain the required details. If the provider’s information is not included in the submission package, we may reach out to the patient directly. If no resolution is reached after repeated contact attempts, the specimen will be returned to the submitting provider after one week. Specimens without any contact information will be held for 60 days before being discarded. 

Our laboratory offers a range of specialized diagnostic services beyond the standard Hematoxylin and Eosin (H&E) stain to ensure accurate and comprehensive diagnoses. These include histochemical stains, immunofluorescence, immunohistochemistry, in-situ hybridization, and molecular diagnostic techniques such as Next-Generation Sequencing.

The two procedures are similar in principle; however, direct immunofluorescence studies for immunobullous diseases require fresh tissue or tissue in Zeus® media. This media is available from our laboratory. The procedure is performed on frozen sections. Unlike immunohistochemical stains, which last for years, the fluorescence fades after viewing.

The pathologist reads the clinical information from the submission form and performs a gross examination of the tissue. The pathologist may section the tissue to optimize the embedding process. If you have marked your specimen for margins in the case of an excision of a malignancy, the pathologist will trim the specimen so that surgical margins can be evaluated.

Early that afternoon the courier picks up all specimens for that day and transports them to the histotechnology laboratory. The next day, prepared slides are returned at 8:00 a.m. The pathologist dictates the reports in small batches, allowing for quick transcription. Once transcription is complete, the reports are reviewed and signed, then mailed and/or faxed before noon when the cycle begins again.

Most special stains are completed and reported within three days. However, certain procedures may require sending slides to specialized institutions or subcontractors, resulting in longer processing times. For molecular testing, such as genomic sequencing or mutation analysis, some cases may require a referral from the patient's primary physician or prior approval from their insurance provider before the testing can proceed.

Our team works diligently to communicate any additional requirements and timelines to ensure seamless and efficient service.