Reasons for a delay in the turnaround time for a frozen section may include:
(1) unscheduled frozen, especially after hours
(2) specimen not given directly to someone with a request for frozen section
(3) need to orient a specimen and to designate margins
(4) multiple frozen sections required on the same specimen
(5) multiple simultaneous specimens requiring frozen sections
(6) need to submit piece for culture (especially if done in a biohazard hood)
(7) need to submit piece for flow cytometry
(8) tissue that does not cut well (fat, bone, other)
(9) need to get another sample (all necrotic, not representative, etc)
(10) uncertainty about the diagnosis (which may involve review by multiple pathologists)
(11) specimen requires dissection
(12) need to cut extra levels to evaluate a margin
(13) inexperience
(14) delay in contacting the surgeon
(15) technical problems (cryostat, staining, etc)
(16) unlabeled or mislabled specimen
(17) an emergency elsewhere
(18) need to look at previous slides from the patient
