The steps required to take human tissue from fixation to the state where it is completely infiltrated with a suitable histological wax and can be embedded ready for section cutting on the microtome
Process whereby alcohol or a dehydrating agent is removed from the tissue and replaced with a substance that will dissolve the wax with which the tissue is to be impregnated
The process of removing the clearing agent from the tissue and replaced by a medium that will completely fill all the tissue cavities, giving the specimen a firm consistency
An automatic tissue processing machine that fixes, dehydrates, clears, and infiltrates tissues thereby decreasing the time and labor needed during the processing of tissues resulting in a more rapid diagnosis with lesser technicality
Fresh tissue is usually examined where there is an immediate need for evaluation. A better and more effective means however, of studying tissues whether normal or abnormal is by examination of their sections and smears which have been permanently preserved. Stained for demonstration of specific structures and mounted on glass slides with cover slips for permanent keeping.
The quality of the section of the slide is only as good as the quality of the fixed tissue specimen. So if you properly fix your specimens, then you will get an optimum result for the pathologist to be read.
The most common fixative used in the laboratory in Cebu Doctors' University Hospital is the "neutral buffered formaldehyde or otherwise known as NBF neutral buffered formalin.
The most common dehydrating agent used in the histopath lab is "ethyl alcohol" so we start from a smaller percentage or concentration going to a higher or increasing strength of alcohol concentration.
The dehydrating agent is removed from the tissue and replaced with a substance that will dissolve the wax with which the tissue will be impregnated, giving the tissue a "translucent appearance"
The process whereby the clearing agent is completely removed from the tissue and replaced by a medium that will completely fill all the tissue cavities, thereby giving a firm consistency to the specimen, and allowing easier handling and cutting of suitably thin sections without any damage or distortion to the tissue and its cellular components
The process by which the impregnated tissue is placed into a precisely arranged position in a mold containing a medium which is then allowed to solidify
The process by which a tissue is arranged in precise position in the mold during embedding on the microtome before cutting and on the slide before staining
The process by which a processed tissue, most commonly a paraffin embedded tissue, is trimmed and cut into uniformly thin slices or "sections" to facilitate studies under the microscope