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.
