Histopathology reporting software, from grossing to signed report

How a biopsy moves through PathLab Software

1. Receive and number the case. When a histopathology or cytology test is received, a case is created with its number, for example H/26/0412, from a per-year sequence. Record specimen, site, laterality, number of containers, fixative and clinical history; an unacceptable specimen (unlabelled, unfixed) is rejected straight into the sample rejection register.
2. Gross with a template. On the Gross tab, type a short code and a space to expand the template, then fill the blanks.
3. Log blocks. Add blocks per container; they are labelled A1, A2, A3, and B1 onwards for a second container. Each block has tissue description, stains (H&E by default, plus special stains or IHC lines), slide count, recut flag and status from embedded to archived.
4. Print labels. One click prints block and slide labels with the case number, block label, stain, patient initials and a QR code, on plain paper or a label printer, from the browser.
5. Microscopy and diagnosis. Use microscopy and diagnosis templates or free text. Pap and thyroid FNAC cases pick a category; any case can be flagged "malignant / suspicious" for follow-up.
6. Submit and sign. Submission is blocked while the diagnosis is empty. The pathologist signs from the case page or the validation queue, on a desktop or a phone.
7. Archive, issue or add an addendum. Blocks get a cabinet and drawer location; blocks sent for second opinion are logged out and back. A dated addendum can be added after sign-off.

Grossing with templates

Typing .gb followed by a space in the gross box expands the lab's gallbladder template: "Received in formalin a gallbladder measuring {size} cm. Serosa {serosa}. Wall thickness {wall} cm. Mucosa {mucosa}. Calculi: {calculi}. Representative sections: A1 fundus, A2 neck with cystic duct margin, A3 body." The first blank is selected, so the pathologist types the size; the Tab key jumps to the next blank. Starter templates for appendix, gallbladder, endometrial curettings, skin punch and cervical biopsy are included for your pathologist to review and adapt, and your lab can add its own for any specimen.

Block and slide log

Cytology: Pap smear and FNAC with standard categories

Cytology cases live in the same board. Pap smears and fluid cytology get C numbers and FNACs get F numbers, so the case register stays readable. For a Pap smear the pathologist records specimen adequacy and picks a category from the list used by The Bethesda System for Reporting Cervical Cytology: NILM, ASC-US, ASC-H, LSIL, HSIL, squamous cell carcinoma, AGC, AIS, adenocarcinoma or other malignant neoplasm. For a thyroid FNAC the list is the Bethesda System for Reporting Thyroid Cytopathology categories I to VI (nondiagnostic, benign, atypia of undetermined significance, follicular neoplasm, suspicious for malignancy, malignant); other FNAC sites use free text. The chosen category prints on the report in full words, so two pathologists never phrase the same category differently.

Category lists and templates are starter content: review them with your pathologist before use. The pathologist's diagnosis is always the authority; software lists support it.

Blocks sent for second opinion: the issue log

When a block or slide set leaves the lab for a second opinion or IHC at another centre, the block row records who it was issued to and when. Until it comes back it shows as "issued, not returned", and the block archive has a filter for exactly that list, so a missing block is noticed in days, not at the next audit. When it returns, one tick records the return date and the block goes back to its archive location.

How does it compare?

* As of November 2026, among the Indian products under ₹8,000 a month whose public material we reviewed, none showed case numbering, a block and slide log and cytology categories together; check with each vendor, as features change.