Information on the skin biopsy

Introduction

The following overview was published in the journal "Der Hautarzt" (Weyers W, Diaz C, Weyers I, Borghi S. Die Hautbiopsie. Hautarzt 1999; 50: 145–158). Reprints can be ordered from the Zentrum für Dermatopathologie, Freiburg.

The skin biopsy is more than just the removing of a piece of skin tissue. It is a diagnostic process, made up of many steps requiring the greatest care, from choosing the most suitable biopsy technique and setting up and working with the equipment, through to analysis of microscopic changes by a competent dermatopathologist. At the start and end of this process comes the clinician. He/she bears firstly the responsibility for setting indicators, briefing the patient on the intervention and – after obtaining consent – the removal of a representative piece of tissue: secondly, he/she must correlate the histopathological report with the clinical picture and put together a definitive clinical-histopathological diagnosis. A sound knowledge of dermo-histopathology is therefore essential to be able to make best use of the possibilities for a skin biopsy.

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