A Study of Serial Vertical Sectioning of Scalp Biopsies to Increase the Histological Diagnostic Yield in Alopecias

May 2010 in “ Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology ”

N Bathish, Ofer Ben Izhak, Avner Shemer, Reuven Bergman

TLDR Cutting scalp biopsies in consecutive slices improves diagnosis of hair loss conditions.

The study, which included 100 patients with scalp alopecias, found that serial vertical sectioning of scalp biopsies significantly improved the histological diagnostic yield. Out of 98 alopecia cases, 48% required serial sections for diagnosis. The yield was higher for non-cicatricial alopecias (52.7%) than for cicatricial alopecias (48.5%) and other types (10%). Serial vertical sectioning was particularly effective in providing a more detailed examination of hair follicles, which is crucial for accurate diagnosis, and was also useful in identifying fungal infections and differentiating between types of folliculitis. The study supports the use of this method to enhance diagnostic accuracy in alopecia cases.

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