Rapid lump examination (RLE) - a new tool for Mohs surgery?

Background: "Micrographic surgery" spares tissue and results in fewer recurrences. Various techniques have been described using paraffin-embedded and cryostat sections or even optical sections from ex vivo confocal laser scanning microscopy. The presented technique is the rapid direct microscopy of the surface of a specimen (lump) for a pathological examination (RLE).

Confocal laser scanning microscopy vs 3-dimensional histologic imaging in basal cell carcinoma.

Objective: To compare ex vivo confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM), which offers rapid images without the need for tissue processing, vs 3-dimensional histologic imaging, the criterion standard treatment for basal cell carcinomas in high-risk areas of the face.

Design: Single-center prospective trial.

Setting: Dermatosurgical unit of a university hospital.