We offer a routine diagnostic histopathology service including a frozens section service and muscle and nerves.
Opening Hours (enquiries and specimen reception) Monday to Saturday 7:30am to 7:30pm hours.
We are located at St James’s University Hospital site, Bexley Wing Level 5
Department of Histopathology
Bexley Wing, Level 5
St James’s University Hospital
Beckett Street
Leeds
LS9 7TF
Key Contacts
General Enquiries (office): 0113 206 7594
Laboratory: 0113 206 7771
Specimen Reception: 0113 206 7898
Operational Lead (Sarah Caton): 0113 206 7691
Frozen section booking (24 hour notice required): 0113 206 7771
Out of Hours requests (SJUH Switchboard) 0113 243 3144
Specialist Histopathology
Opening hours for enquiries Monday to Friday 8:30am to 5:00pm
We are located at St James’s University Hospital site, Block 32 Chancellor Wing
Department of Cellular Pathology
Ground Floor, Block 32
Chancellor Wing
St James’s University Hospital
Beckett Street
Leeds
LS9 7TF
Key Contact
Laboratory: 0113 206 4710
Useful Information and Guidance
Tissue Collection
10% Formal Saline is the routine fixative used for all histopathology specimens. The volume of fixative must be appropriate to the size of the sample.
The exceptions to fixed tissue are:
- Urgent frozen sections: Must be received fresh, as soon as possible.
- Renal biopsies: Place in isotonic saline or Michel’s medium and send to lab as soon as possible.
- Skin biopsies for immunofluorescence techniques: Must be received fresh or placed in Michel’s medium, and sent to the lab as soon as possible.
- Muscle and nerve biopsies: Must be received fresh, as soon as possible. A limited examination on both muscle and nerve biopsies may be performed on fixed tissue
Samples may be dropped off fresh (i.e. not in formal saline) between the hours of 7.30 am and 7.00pm Monday to Saturday to be placed into formal saline by laboratory staff. Any sample that needs to be placed in formal saline and cannot be brought to the laboratory immediately should be refrigerated and delivered to the laboratory at the earliest opportunity during opening hours.
Frozen Sections
All frozen sections are performed in the Bexley Wing Laboratory.
To book a frozen during routine hours (Monday to Friday 7.30 am – 7.30 pm) call 0113 206 7771.
Please give 24 hours notice wherever possible. Please call the laboratory again when the specimen is being dispatched.
To book a frozen section out of hours please call the SJUH switchboard 0113 243 3144.
For Neuro and Hirschprungs biopsies from LGI; Inform the laboratory as above and use the “Blue Light” service to deliver the specimen directly to the Bexley Wing laboratory.
High risk specimens requiring frozen sections
Please see protocol for booking high risk frozen sections (292kB)
Please see protocol for further information on frozen section service (21kB)
Muscle and Nerve Biopsies
Muscle for histological and histochemical analysis can be sampled as either an open biopsy or a needle biopsy.
The Histopathology laboratory must be informed by telephoning 0113 2064710 when a muscle/nerve is being sent and also of the expected time of arrival. Biopsies should arrive no later than 4.00pm.
See protocol for sending of muscle and nerve biopsies: muscle and nerve biopsy protocol