Comparison of three embedding media for preparation of frozen sections for Mohs micrographic surgery

Reported Outcome Measures in Mohs Micrographic Surgery in Studies With Defined Techniques for Embedding and Processing of Tissue: A Systematic Review

“…Tissue conservation was defined as the least number of tissue sections performed to obtain 90% to 100% margins [8][9][10][11][12][13][14] or the minimization of thickness or depth of an excised layer.…”

“…Timesaving was defined as time reductions in tissue orientation/slide preparation, 12,[15][16][17] Mohs mapping, 18 embedding, 19 freezing, 8 specimen mounting, 9 tissue sectioning, 13 slide interpretation, [20][21][22][23] wound closure, 24,25 increased number of cases per day, 24,26 less time needed to train technicians on devices, 15 or a combination of these. 5,14,[27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36]…”

“…Cost-saving was defined as decreased cost of a Mohs processing device, 9,33,39 cost of slide and adhesive secondary to a decreased number of sections needed, 28,29,40,41 or cost of embedding medium. 12…”

“…In 47 studies, tissue conservation was assessed (77%). [8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][18][19][20][21]25,26,[28][29][30][31]33,36,38,39,41, Authors of 13 studies defined conservation of tissue as the fewest number of sections to obtain a complete margin, 8,10,20,28,29,36,41,45,49,50,58,59,64 whereas others defined it as tissue conserved by minimizing the thickness or depth of an excised layer (n 5 9), [12][13][14][15]26,31,46,59,62 minimizing tissue manipulation (n 5 8), 11,18,21,25,…”

“…26,55,57,59,61 Investigators for 11 studies assessed conservation of tissue with reference to histologic "complete margins." [9][10][11][12][13][14]16,19,46,48,60 However, the definition of "complete margins" differed greatly between studies. When percentages were used to histologically define a "complete margin," values ranged from 85% to 100% (n 5 7).…”