Taming tricky tissues at microtomy.
Ever had that fatty piece of tissue that hits the water bath and “explodes” before you can pick it up? What about the piece of uterus filled with calcifications making it difficult to cut or the nail that keeps popping out of the block?
Here are a few simple things to do right at microtomy that may help with some of these tricky situations that seem to slow you down.
Fatty Tissue
- Lower the temperature of your water bath by a few degrees. Cooler water may help the tissue stay intact long enough for a good section to be picked up.
- Add a drop of Dawn Dish Soap to your water bath. This changes the surface tension just enough to aid in section pickup.
- Position an ice cube in your water bath and pick up sections near the ice cube.
- Use a freeze spray like StatFreeze™ to help maintain tissue integrity.
- Briefly submerge the face of the block in the water bath for a few seconds to soften the tissue for easier sectioning.
- Keep a small container of decal solution, such as Decal™ Decalcifier, next to your microtome. Soak the block face in the solution for 5-10 minutes, then rinse well with water before cutting.
- Put the block face in a potassium hydroxide solution at your cutting station, then rinse well with water. The strong basic solution helps soften brittle nail clippings. Nail Prep is an excellent choice for this.
- Soak face down in your water bath for a few seconds to rehydrate and improve sectioning.
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