From the American College of Veterinary Pathologists Conference

Several pathologists here at the WSVL attended the American College of Veterinary Pathologists (ACVP) annual meeting, held virtually this year. In addition to the many great conference talks, the meeting also offers a choice of pre-meeting, day-long workshops where a specific topic is covered in detail. This year, I attended a workshop on oral pathology presented by Drs. Brian Murphy and Cynthia Bell. Oral lesions are often a diagnostic challenge for us as pathologists, because some types of tumors and inflammatory changes can look very similar on biopsies! 

The presenters gave some excellent tips on how to recognize specific diseases, and how to differentiate between primary disease processes and secondary reactive changes (which can be very severe in the oral cavity). We were also provided with a set of virtual slides of various diseases so we could see actual cases of these diseases, and practice our diagnostic skills. I definitely came away feeling more confident in my ability to diagnose oral diseases. I have already shared some of the knowledge I learned from this workshop with another pathologist who had a difficult case of an oral tumor. Workshops like this are an important part of continuing education for pathologists and other veterinary professionals so that we can continually improve the services we provide to our animal patients.