How to identify tissue for tissue cutting in histopathology?
Answers
Tissue Processing
Tissues from the body taken for diagnosis of disease processes must be processed in the histology laboratory to produce microscopic slides that are viewed under the microscope by pathologists. 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.
Specimen Accessioning
Tissue specimens received in the surgical pathology laboratory have a request form that lists the patient information and history along with a description of the site of origin. The specimens are accessioned by giving them a number that will identify each specimen for each patient.
Specimen accessioning.
Gross Examination
Tissues removed from the body for diagnosis arrive in the Pathology Department and are examined by a pathologist, pathology assistant, or pathology resident. Gross examination consists of describing the specimen and placing all or parts of it into a small plastic cassette which holds the tissue while it is being processed to a paraffin block. Initially, the cassettes are placed into a fixative.
Gross specimen examination.
Gross specimen examination.
When a malignancy is suspected, then the specimen is often covered with ink in order to mark the margins of the specimen. Different colored inks can be used to identify different areas if needed. When sections are made and processed, the ink will mark the actual margin on the slide.
A procedure which needs to take place between tissue fixation and the embedding/sectioning of paraffin blocks is tissue processing