Dermatologists and pathologists from across the country have gathered at Jipmer to discuss, apart from clinical challenges, the idea of a more closely integrated approach to treatment of diseases and better outcomes.
Around 170 dermatologists and pathologists from all over India are participating in the three-day annual conference of the Dermatopathology Society of India, hosted by the departments of Dermatology and Pathology at Jipmer.
Dr. Subhash Chandra Parija, Jipmer Director, inaugurated the conference in the presence of Dr. Ashok Shankar Badhe, Medical Superintendent, Dr. R.P. Swaminathan, Dean (Academics) and Dr. Ramam, president, Dermatopathology Society of India.
Dr. Parija, in his inaugural address said that this was a unique conference of dermatologists and pathologists with a shared vision. In today’s situation when integration of disciplines was the key to successful healthcare, dermatopathology was a key example of coordination between two disciplines resulting in improved patient outcomes.
Dr. Bhawana Ashok Badhe, organising chairman, said that dermatology from primarily being a clinical specialty developed into multiple sub-specialty, one of them being dermatopathology.
This specialty focusses on the study of cutaneous diseases at a microscopic and molecular level.
Dermatologists are able to recognise most skin diseases based on their appearances, anatomic distributions and behaviour. Sometimes, those criteria do not allow a conclusive diagnosis to be made, and a skin biopsy is taken to be examined under the microscope or are subject to other molecular tests. That process reveals the histology of the disease and results in a specific diagnostic interpretation, he pointed out.
However, in some cases, additional specialised testing needs to be performed on biopsies, including immunofluorescence, immunohistochemistry, electron microscopy, flow cytometry and molecular-pathologic analysis, he added.
Bridging the gap
Dr. Laxmi Chandrasekar Sha, organising secretary, said that some of the problems in interpretation are due to poor or lack of communication between the two disciplines. This conference attempted to bridge the two bringing them on the same platform and “talking the same language.”
He added saying that another important aim of this conference was to provide basics of dermatopathology to Residents in dermatology and pathology with a comprehensive exposure to slide viewing and lectures.
