Common Artifacts That Impede Reliable Interpretation and Cause Misdiagnosis

A large number of different types of artifacts can be seen with regularity in central nervous system surgical specimens. These can be broadly divided into three categories: 1) those that impede or even prevent diagnostic interpretation, 2) those that may be mistaken for bona fide pathological alterations, and 3) extraneous substances introduced into the tissue by physicians (Table 1). Some types of artifact, most prominent cautery and freeze, can either prevent reliable interpretation altogether, or can more subtly mimic pathological change depending on the severity of the artifact.