What is a surgical artifact?

A surgical artifact is an unintentional alteration or damage to tissue or organs caused by surgical instruments or techniques during a surgical procedure. Surgical artifacts can affect the appearance and microscopic structure of tissues, potentially hindering accurate diagnosis and interpretation of pathology slides. Examples of surgical artifacts include crush artifacts, cutting artifacts, cautery marks, needle puncture artifacts, compression artifacts, tissue distortion, and inflammation or reaction to surgical procedures. The presence of surgical artifacts should be recognized and documented during tissue specimen examination to avoid misinterpretation of pathological findings.