Professional Pathology Services offers
a number of adjunctive tests used in the evaluation and diagnosis
of hematopoietic disorders and infectious processes. Flow cytometry
is a rapid and reliable method for immunophenotypic analysis of
hematopoietic cells. This is one of the most common techniques utilized
to evaluate bone marrow, peripheral blood and lymph nodes to identify
the presence of monoclonal malignancy or leukemia. Flow cytometry
is also used for evaluating lymphocyte subpopulations and determining
CD4/CD8 ratios.
Molecular diagnostic testing using PCR technology for the qualification
and quantification of a variety of infectious agents is also available.
These tests can be used as a target amplified diagnostic test for
the qualitative detection of M. tuberculosis, C. trachomatis, N.
gonorrhoeae and viral agents including Herpes simplex, EBV, CMV,
HCV, and HIV. In addition, HIV-1 genotyping studies to analyze
the sequence of the protease and reverse transcriptase coding regions
to determine drug resistance are performed.
The field of molecular pathology is a rapidly evolving area with
new tests and applications emerging. The pathologists and medical
technologists working within our division have a dedicated interest
in applying this technology to aid in patient diagnosis and treatment.
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