The reliability of frozen sections in the evaluation of surgical margins for melanoma

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Abstract

As the width of surgical margins declines, histologic evaluation of the margins is needed to assess the completeness of excision of a malignant melanoma. We studied 221 specimens in 59 patients and compared the interpretations of frozen and paraffin sections from the same block. Frozen sections had a sensitivity of 100% in detecting melanoma when present and a specificity of 90%.

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  • Cited by (0)

    a

    From the Departments of Medicine and Surgery, Montefiore Hospital, University Health Center of Pittsburgh

    b

    the Department of Dermatology, University of Pittsburgh

    c

    the Department of Dermatology, University of California, Los Angeles.

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