Pathology Centre

About the centre

The Pathology Centre is one of the leading institutions in the country that ensures qualitative morphological and cytological diagnostics of diseases.

The centre is comprised of five functionally linked departments:

• Management Department;
• Department of Pathology of Infectious Diseases;
• Department of General Patholog;
• Department of Cytology;
• Organizational and Consultative Department.

The personnel of the Pathology Centre include the following:

• 22 certified doctors;
• 16 pathologists;
• 6 laboratory cytologists;
• 29 certified laboratory assistants;
• 9 certified laboratory assistants/cytologists;
• 20 certified laboratory assistants/histologists.

Out of all the pathologists and laboratory cytologists of Latvia, 37% of highly-qualified pathologists and 47% of laboratory cytologists work in the Pathology Centre of LLC “Riga East Clinical University Hospital”.

Head Valdis Miķelsons

Main goals:

pathomorphological examination of surgery and biopsy material – during any medical manipulation, microscopic examination of a tissue fragment or organ in order to determine the character, progress and forecast of the current disease process to exclude the presence of malignant process at the level of tissues and cells;

cytological examination of biomaterial – microscopic examination of tissue prints and fluids obtained during a medical manipulation at the level of cells in order to determine the character, progress and forecast of the current disease process, as well as within the framework of preventive measures (for instance, for prevention of diseases of uterine neck);

identification of the origin of pathological processes, reasons of their development and reasons of death for patients who passed away as a result of non-violent death.

Statistics

In 2014, 186,912 examinations of surgery and biopsy material were carried out for 37,828 patients, while cytological examinations were carried out in 27,409 cases. All these specimens are stained according to the standard method – with haematoxylin and eosin. In cases required for diagnostics, special staining methods are used as well: to determine iron, amyloid, fat, mucus, etc.

In 1998, a method of immunohistochemical examination of surgery and biopsy material was introduced in the Pathology Centre, and it is being gradually developed. Currently, 91 antibodies are used for the examination of surgery and biopsy material by applying the immunohistochemical method in the laboratory of the centre (in 2010 – 87, in 2009 – 73, in 2008 – 45 antibodies). The use of this specific method is based on the ability of different antibodies to identify the tissues, cells and origin of certain tumours. Hence, the immunohistochemical method helps in determining the type of tumours more precisely, allowing the attending physician to select the optimal treatment method for the patient and forecast the progress of the disease.

In 2014, 19,360 immunohistochemical reactions were carried out for 3,872 patients.

The centre carries out the pathomorphological and cytological examination of biomaterial during surgeries, mostly in cases of pathologies of the mammary gland and lungs for the patients of in-patient departments “Latvian Oncology Centre”, “Centre of Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases” and “Gaiļezers”.

Education in the Pathology Centre

The Pathology Centre is a base for the training of RSU students and post-diploma education of doctors. 4 doctors/residents are currently mastering pathologist’s speciality in the Pathology Centre. The Pathology Centre actively cooperates with the Baltic-German Association of Pathologists, consulting on difficult surgery and biopsy materials in different German pathology centres. The Pathology Centre, the Department of Pathology of the RSU and Latvian Association of Pathologists actively participate in the annual training seminars of the Baltic-German Association of Pathologists.

In 2014, such seminar was held from May 30 to June 1 in Kaunas.

Topics of the seminar:

International cooperation

As of 1999, the specialists of the centre regularly participate in the International Quality Assurance Programme of the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia. Within the framework of this programme, the centre has received several certificates that certify the conformity of centre’s technologies and the level of doctors’ competence to international standards.

Science in the Pathology Centre

The scientific activity of the Pathology Centre is related to the In-patient Department “Latvian Oncology Centre”, In-patient Department “Latvian Infectology Centre”, In-patient Department “Centre of Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases”, and the Institute of Hereditary Cancer of the Riga Stradiņš University.

Specialists:

Jurijs Nazarovs, Temporary Head of the Department of Pathology of Infectious Diseases and Department of General Pathology Jurijs Nazarovs 

Austra Breikša, pathologist