Staining Artefact
A spurious appearance in a histological section arising from processing or staining technique rather than genuine tissue pathology, which can mislead histopathological interpretation.
Full Definition
In oral and maxillofacial pathology reports, staining artefacts are procedural distortions introduced during tissue fixation, embedding, sectioning, or staining that produce features mimicking pathological change. Common examples include crush artefact, formalin pigment deposition, and retraction artefact around epithelial nests that may falsely suggest perineural or vascular invasion. Editors must reproduce the term as 'artefact' (British spelling) or 'artifact' (American spelling) consistently throughout a document, as mixing spellings is a common editorial error. When a pathologist qualifies a finding as an artefact, editors should ensure this qualification is not inadvertently removed during sentence restructuring. The term should not be confused with 'incidental finding,' which implies a genuine but clinically unrelated tissue change.
Usage
Usage note: Choose 'artefact' (British/Australian) or 'artifact' (American) per house style and apply consistently. Never edit out a pathologist's qualification that a finding is artefactual.
In Context
- "The apparent clear-cell change was attributed to a staining artefact from inadequate formalin fixation rather than a true glycogen-rich neoplasm." — Histopathology report comment
- "Editors must apply either 'artefact' or 'artifact' consistently; switching between British and American spellings within a single report is an error." — Journal style guide