Cardiothoracic Pathology

The Cardiothoracic Pathology subspecialty group at PathWest Anatomical Pathology is a clinical service which provides diagnostic services for diseases involving the heart, lungs, pleura, mediastinum and related structures. Our pathologists work in a collaborative environment with the advanced heart and lung units, cardiologists, respiratory physicians, cardiothoracic surgeons, oncologists, radiologists and scientific staff to provide a patient centred service.

The group reports a range of neoplastic and non-neoplastic cardiothoracic samples, including:

• Surgical biopsies and resections;
• Heart and lung transplant pathology;
• Bronchoscopic guided samples including those procured by endoscopic bronchial ultrasound guided fine needle aspiration;
• Exfoliative samples - sputum, pleural fluid;
• Direct and image guided fine needle aspiration biopsies.

Comprehensive molecular testing as a predictive biomarker in a subset of lung tumours is well established in our molecular laboratory for both cytological and histopathology samples.

In addition to clinical services, the cardiothoracic pathology subspecialty group is also involved in undergraduate and postgraduate teaching, as well as on-going research in the pathogenesis and diagnosis of a range of tumour and non-tumour thoracic diseases.

The group attends and presents at weekly multidisciplinary respiratory meetings at all major teaching hospital sites to plan management of patients with thoracic diseases.