Formaldehyde fixation and microwave irradiation |
| |
| Authors: | M. E. Boon P. O. Gerrits H. E. Moorlag P. Nieuwenhuis L. P. Kok |
| |
| Affiliation: | (1) Leiden Cytology and Pathology Laboratory, P. O. Box 16084, 2301 GB Leiden, The Netherlands;(2) Department of Anatomy and Embryology, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands;(3) Department of Histology, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands;(4) Institute for Theoretical Physics, university of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands |
| |
| Abstract: | Summary Formaldehyde is the most commonly used fixative in pathology laboratories. However, due to time pressures, this fixative is often not optimally exploited. the majority of biopsies are only partly fixed when histoprocessing is started, with adverse effects. This paper reports how formaldehyde fixation is improved, by using 1.5 min of microwave irradiation of tissue previously soaked for four hours in the fixation solution. It is argued that this beneficial effect of microwave irradiation can be attributed to the acceleration of the reaction of formaldehyde to the tissue. Formation of free formaldehyde, by the dehydration of methylene glycol present in the tissue when the irradiation starts, is also enhanced. Five different formaldehyde-containing fixatives were evaluated, using five different working protocols. Spleen was taken as a suitable tissue for these tests. The technique described leads to uniform microscopical results. It is a simple method and is suitable for use in routine laboratories. |
| |
| Keywords: | |
| 本文献已被 SpringerLink 等数据库收录！ |
|
