Head and Neck and Cardiothoracic Pathology Service

About the Service

The Head and Neck and Cardiothoracic Pathology subspecialty service is dedicated to diagnostic excellence in areas of tumors, non-neoplastic diseases, and transplant pathology. Techniques that are available at UC San Diego Health include immunohistochemical studies (including predictive markers such as PD-L1), direct and indirect immunofluorescence, fluorescence in situ hybridization, electron microscopy, and molecular studies.

In the Head and Neck area, our specimens include lesions from the oral cavity (including lip biopsies for Sjogren's disease evaluation and mucosal biopsies for direct immunofluorescence assays), oropharynx, nasopharynx, nasal cavity, paranasal sinuses, maxillofacial bones (including odontogenic lesions), hypopharynx, larynx, thyroid gland, parathyroid glands, salivary glands, neck lymph nodes, ear, and skin from the head and neck region. We also perform electron microscopy for evaluation of cilia from respiratory mucosa.

In the Cardiothoracic area, our specimens include neoplastic and non-neoplastic heart disease (including native heart biopsies with electron microscopy), neoplastic and non-neoplastic lung diseases (including interstitial lung disease and Next Generation Sequencing for lung cancer), pleural pathology, and mediastinal pathology (including thymus). We also have a busy transplant service examining heart and lung explants and allograft biopsies. Please also see the UC San Diego Pathology Laboratory and Genomic Medicine area for further information regarding the Cardiomyopathy Next Generation Sequencing Panel.

We are available for consultation on all aspects of Head and Neck and Cardiothoracic Pathology.

Meet Our Faculty

• Grace Y. Lin, M.D., Ph.D., Director of Head and Neck and Cardiothoracic Pathology Service
• Omonigho Aisagbonhi M.D., Ph.D.
• Jingjing Hu M.D., Ph.D.
• Li Lei M.D., Ph.D.
• Maryam Pezhouh, M.D., M.Sc.
• Hana M. Russo, M.D., Ph.D.
• Ahmed Shabaik, M.D.
• Vera Vavinskaya, M.D.