The cost-effectiveness of routine histologic examination.

Although the histologic examination of routine tissues, such as hernia sacs and intervertebral disks, has shown a low incidence of detecting clinically significant unsuspected disease, the cost-effectiveness of histologic examination has not been determined. By using a theoretical model that assumed variable costs and gains in life expectancy secondary to detecting clinically significant disease, a threshold incidence of disease detection at which histologic examination is cost-effective was determined. By using the University of lowa (Iowa City) cost of examination (approximately $25), at least 1 of every 2,000 examinations would have to show clinically significant disease for histologic examination to be cost-effective. This threshold incidence decreases as production costs decrease or life-year values increase. Before definitive policy conclusions can be made, additional studies are needed to better define the trade-off between cost and the value of information and the incidence of detecting clinically significant disease.