US 12,440,847 B2
Methods for processing a pathology specimen
Jim Lu, Buffalo Grove, IL (US)
Assigned to GoPath Laboratories LLC, Buffalo Grove, IL (US)
Filed by GoPath Laboratories LLC, Buffalo Grove, IL (US)
Filed on Jan. 16, 2025, as Appl. No. 19/024,756.
Application 19/024,756 is a continuation of application No. 18/432,939, filed on Feb. 5, 2024.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/523,503, filed on Jun. 27, 2023.
Prior Publication US 2025/0153183 A1, May 15, 2025
Int. Cl. G01N 1/30 (2006.01); B01L 3/00 (2006.01); G16H 30/00 (2018.01); G01N 1/28 (2006.01); G01N 1/36 (2006.01)
CPC B01L 3/50853 (2013.01) [G01N 1/30 (2013.01); G16H 30/00 (2018.01); B01L 2200/04 (2013.01); B01L 2300/021 (2013.01); B01L 2300/024 (2013.01); B01L 2300/025 (2013.01); B01L 2300/0609 (2013.01); B01L 2300/0663 (2013.01); B01L 2300/0809 (2013.01); G01N 2001/2873 (2013.01); G01N 2001/368 (2013.01)] 2 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of processing pathology specimens, the method comprising:
receiving a tissue sample cassette containing a plurality of tissue samples, each tissue sample disposed in a separate compartment of the tissue sample cassette and covered by a gel;
scanning, by a receiving station of a pathology information system, a cassette identifier embedded on the tissue sample cassette;
printing, by a cassette printer, a patient label on the tissue sample cassette based on information from the scanned cassette identifier;
removing a lid from the tissue sample cassette;
scanning, by a digital imaging system, the tissue sample cassette with the lid removed;
uploading, from the digital imaging system, a digital image of the scanned tissue sample cassette to a gross description module of the pathology information system;
color coding, for each tissue sample in the tissue sample cassette, one end of the gel covering the tissue sample a color and a second end of the gel covering the tissue sample a different color;
placing a sponge over the compartments and closing the lid of the tissue sample cassette;
placing the closed tissue sample cassette into a tissue processor to dehydrate contents of the tissue sample cassette;
removing the tissue sample cassette from the tissue processor;
removing the gel covered tissue samples from the removed tissue sample cassette;
trimming a portion of the gel from each tissue sample;
placing the trimmed tissue samples and an orientation indicator in an embedding mold;
covering the trimmed tissue samples and the orientation indicator within the embedding mold with liquid paraffin;
solidifying the liquid paraffin to create a paraffin block with the tissue samples and the orientation indicator embedded;
trimming the paraffin block;
mounting the trimmed paraffin block to a slide having a patient identifier;
scanning, with a scanning system, the slide to create a digital image of each tissue sample; and
saving, by the pathology information system, the digital images as image files based on information from the patient identifier.