THE ACCURACY AND USEFULNESS OF FROZEN-SECTION DIAGNOSIS

A retrospective review of 57 patients, who had received frozensection diagnoses, was performed both to ascertain the accuracy of diagnosis and to evaluate its usefulness in assessing tumor surgery. Except for 2 cases, each with a parotid gland tumor, the frozen‐section diagnoses were consistent with the final diagnoses using permanent paraffin sections. Fifteen cases with either T1 or T2 squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity and 2 cases with malignant salivary gland tumor, showing tumor‐free surgical margins by frozen‐section examination, were followed. A local recurrence of the carcinoma was observed in 1 case during the follow‐up period. Prior to neck dissection, lymph node metastases were examined using frozen sections. Ten cases, which were diagnosed as negative for metastasis, showed no subsequent development of cervical node metastasis. Copyright © 1990 Wiley Periodicals, Inc., A Wiley Company