Turnaround time (TAT), which doctors frequently use as the benchmark for laboratory performance, is a typical way to communicate timeliness. It also acts as a quality indicator to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of the testing process and the satisfaction of clinicians and patients. TAT is the time from receipt of the sample in the laboratory to final delivery or dispatch of the report of said test. The TAT procedure can be broadly divided into three stages pre-analytical, analytical and post-analytical. There is variability in TAT according to different conditions like the volume of sample size, staff expertise, availability of adequate resources, distances of the hospital from the lab, and various sub-departments. To remove obstacles to optimizing TAT, we must take a practical approach. A workload reduction plan, proper stock management, specialized work assignments, and skilled staff retention are crucial strategies to reduce the setting's delayed TAT.

Signet ring cell carcinoma (SRCC) is a rare lesion in the gastrointestinal tract. Further, the condition is very uncommon at the ampulla of Vater. A majority of the reported cases are typical, gland-forming adenocarcinomas. In our case, a patient aged 59 years, was diagnosed as a case of peri-ampullary carcinoma based on physical exam findings and imaging. Ultrasonography (USG) abdomen and magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) revealed an enlarged common bile duct (CBD) and there was a presence of stricture at the terminal CBD. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) showed growth at the ampulla of Vater. An endoscopic ultrasound guided needle core biopsy was obtained. Histopathological examination revealed the case as SRCC at the ampulla of Vater. We present this as an uncommon case of SRCC at the ampulla of Vater.