Factors impacting diagnostic conclusions: a 30-year retrospective analysis in the Pathology Department of the Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro

Résumé

Based on necropsy and histopathology records from the Pathology Department  of the Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro  spanning the years 1990 to 2020, this study analyzed the factors influencing diagnostic conclusions. Cases with unclear or inconclusive results were compiled and categorized according to the pre-analytical (prior to necropsy), analytical (during necropsy), and post-analytical (histopathological analysis and ancillary testing following necropsy) phases. The data were categorized into production animals, companion animals, and wildlife, and subsequently subjected to statistical analysis. Over the study period, a total of 37,057 examinations were conducted, of which 3.9% resulted in inconclusive diagnoses. Among these inconclusive cases, 26.4% were attributed to failures in the pre-analytical phase, 34.8% in the analytical phase, and 38.8% in the post-analytical phase. Pre-analytical failures were identified in 37.17% of companion animal cases, 21.22% of production animal cases, and 18.15% of wildlife cases. In the post-analytical phase, failures were identified in 24.73% of companion animal cases, 59.18% of production animal cases, and 66.02% of wildlife cases. The findings indicate that companion animals had the highest prevalence of inconclusive diagnoses, primarily due to the higher volume of cases in this category at SAP. This was followed by wildlife animals, which frequently arrive at the facility in advanced stages of autolysis for necropsy. The lowest prevalence of inconclusive diagnoses was observed in production animals, owing to the smaller number of such cases and the limited availability of complementary diagnostic tests.