Pathology

Introduction As a general rule, the podiatic profession is notorious for its underutilization of cutaneous and soft tissue biopsy techniques. In some instances, such under-use may be attributed to trepidation stemming from a lack of familiarity with the biopsy techniques themselves; however, I believe this is not the preeminent cause. In my experience, the most common reason that many podiatric clinicians don’t use biopsy techniques to their fullest is a degree of insecurity regarding when to use witch biopsy and what to do with them once the biopsy has been performed. In most offices, the support staff is ill prepared [...]

Many clinicians rely exclusively on clinical acumen when determining how to manage chronic wounds. Though an ulcer’s clinical features may be fairly indicative of its etiology, in some instances, such is not the case. Even among the most characteristic‐appearing ulcerations, masqueraders do exist. Ruling out the possibility of an unsuspected neoplastic or inflammatory condition could be necessary for the successful management of chronic wounds. In this context, cutaneous biopsy techniques may be invaluable; however, their utility does not necessarily end here. There are three common clinical settings in which a biopsy may be used in the management of a chronic wound. [...]