Contents
What is the purpose of tissue processing?
DEFINITION : Tissue processing: The aim of tissue processing is to embed the tissue in a solid medium firm enough to support the tissue and give it sufficient rigidity to enable thin sections to be cut, and yet soft enough not to damage the knife or tissue.
Why are tissues firm when processing for biopsy?
The aim of tissue processing is to place the tissue in a solid medium, firm enough to support the tissue and to give it sufficient rigidity. [6] The processing preserves microscopic anatomy of the tissue and makes them hard, so that very thin section (4–5 µ) can be made.
What are disadvantages of automatic tissue processing?
Disadvantages include inability to cut thin sections, storage of blocks in alcohol and speed of technique (which can take several weeks or months). This is harder than paraffin wax and has a lower melting point (46-48oC). Good for cutting hard tissues since it does not crumble.
What is the steps of tissue processing?
There are three main steps in tissue processing, namely: ‘dehydration’, ‘clearing’, and ‘infiltration’. Each of the steps of the processing method involves the diffusion of a solution into tissue and dispersion of the previous solution in the series.
What are the steps in tissue processing?
Overview of the steps in tissue processing for paraffin sections
- Obtaining a fresh specimen. Fresh tissue specimens will come from various sources.
- Fixation. The specimen is placed in a liquid fixing agent (fixative) such as formaldehyde solution (formalin).
- Dehydration.
- Clearing.
- Wax infiltration.
- Embedding or blocking out.
How long does tissue processing take?
In general, the whole process takes around six hours and is usually set up to run overnight.
What is the purpose of the process of tissue processing?
Tissue processing is designed to remove all extractable water from the tissue, replacing it with a support medium that provides sufficient rigidity to enable sectioning of the tissue without damage or distortion.
Who are the people who process the tissues?
The techniques for processing the tissues, whether biopsies, larger specimens removed at surgery, or tissues from autopsy, are described below. The persons who do the tissue processing and make the glass microscopic slides are histotechnologists. Key words: Histology, biopsies, autopsy, tissue processing, histotechnologists. INTRODUCTION
Is it possible to prepare fresh tissue for processing?
Most fresh tissue is very delicate and easily distorted and damaged, and it is thus impossible to prepare thin sections from it unless it is chemically preserved or “fixed” and supported in some way whilst it is being cut. Broadly, there are two strategies that can be employed to provide this support:
What is the process of getting fixed tissue into paraffin?
The technique of getting fixed tissue into paraffin is called tissue processing. Tissue processing is designed to remove all extractable water from the tissue, replacing it with a support medium that provides sufficient rigidity to enable sectioning of the tissue without damage or distortion.