Specialities

The Anatomical Pathology Department comprises several areas of special expertise that help to better characterise tissues and blood products:  

• Histology
• Cytology
• Extemporaneous examinations
• Immunohistochemistry
• Molecular biology
• Autopsies
• Cytogenetics
• Tumour bank

The process is as follows: When a solid tumour is resected during an operation, it is immediately sent to the Macroscopy section where the diseased part is removed and cut into thin slices after embedding in paraffin. These fine layers of tumour are then placed on glass slides and stained with various special dyes for microscopic examination by pathologists. If necessary, additional analyses may be requested. In this case, the Immunohistochemistry and Molecular Biology sections may carry out more sophisticated analyses to determine specific antigens or the expression of particular genes. This additional information provides valuable indicators for personalised treatment of the disease.

You will find the list of analyses carried out by the Anatomical Pathology Centre in the collection manual for primary samples. 

Information concerning your consent and protection of your private life is available in the “Guide to your hospitalisation” brochure by clicking on this link.

Our laboratory undertakes to exercise its activities with total impartiality and guarantees the confidentiality of information communicated to it by:

• Cooperating closely with the data processing systems of the Brussels University Hospital that ensures the integrity and protection of your personal data 
• Encoding all samples immediately they arrive in our laboratory, access to the codes being limited strictly to the staff of the Anatomical Pathology Laboratory
• Training all our staff in the protection of private life.

Measures prior to arrival at the laboratory for samples suspected of being contaminated with COVID 19.

The following rules are respected in transporting samples collected for the purposes of diagnosis to the laboratory:

The flask containing the sample is always disinfected with alcohol before being placed in the transport packaging

Samples must arrive at the laboratory in a double-sealed packaging and labelled “MHCE” 

Documentation

You will find the quality documentation and the various requests for analyses by the Anatomical Pathology Laboratory by clicking on the following link.

You will find requests for muscular and nerve biopsies on the Neuromuscular Reference Centre page.