[Histonet] [EXTERNAL] GI biopsies

Thu Feb 12 13:56:58 CST 2026

Hello Paula,

I think 10 ml's at a time  should be sufficient.

I hope this helps.

v/r,
Valerie

Valerie A. Hannen, MLT(ASCP),HTL,SU(FL)

Histology Section Chief

Parrish Medical Center

951 N. Washington Ave.

Titusville, Florida 32796

(321) 268-6111 ext. 7506

Valerie.Hannen at Parrishmed.com

________________________________
From: Paula <plucas at biopath.org>
Sent: Thursday, February 12, 2026 11:41 AM
To: Hannen, Valerie <Valerie.Hannen at parrishmed.com>
Subject: RE: [EXTERNAL] [Histonet] GI biopsies

Hi Valerie,

We haven’t tried this, so I will ask them to add some. How much do you think: 10ml’s?

Paula

From: Hannen, Valerie [mailto:Valerie.Hannen at parrishmed.com]
Sent: Wednesday, February 11, 2026 1:01 PM
To: Paula
Subject: Re: [EXTERNAL] [Histonet] GI biopsies

Good Afternoon,

Have you tried adding alcohol to your water bath? It helps with the reducing the water surface tension and allows the tissue to "spread out" more and can eliminate some of the wrinkles.

You don't have to add a lot of alcohol, but maybe do it frequently.

I hope this helps

V/r,

Valerie A. Hannen, MLT(ASCP),HTL,SU(FL)

Histology Section Chief

Parrish Medical Center

951 N. Washington Ave.

Titusville, Florida 32796

(321) 268-6111 ext. 7506

Valerie.Hannen at Parrishmed.com

________________________________

From: Paula via Histonet <histonet at lists.utsouthwestern.edu>
Sent: Wednesday, February 11, 2026 3:46 PM
To: histonet at lists.utsouthwestern.edu <histonet at lists.utsouthwestern.edu>
Subject: [EXTERNAL] [Histonet] GI biopsies

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Begin Original Message:

Dear Colleagues,

I’m reaching out to the group to ask for input regarding microscopic folds
in GI biopsy sections.  I’m hoping for some “tricks of the trade”
suggestions.

In our lab, sections appear flat and well-relaxed on the water bath with no
visible gross folds. However, after H&E staining, the pathologist identifies
epithelial microfolds in small GI biopsies (esophagus, stomach, colon).
These are not visible before staining and are occurring across multiple
techs.

We currently use Leica Paraplast Plus (polymer-enhanced paraffin). We have
reviewed and optimized:

• Embedding orientation (flat, mucosa aligned)
• Water bath temperature and float time
• Blade angle and cutting speed
• Section thickness (4 µm)

Despite this, we continue to see post-stain microfolding.

For those of you who cut a high volume of GI biopsies:

·        Have you found certain paraffins perform better (e.g., low-melt,
non-polymer)?

·        Do you run a different water bath temperature specifically for GI?

·        Any “tricks of the trade” for minimizing epithelial compression
that aren’t in the textbooks?

I would greatly appreciate any practical advice or shared experience. Thank
you in advance for your insights.

Best regards,
Paula Lucas
Histology Laboratory/BioPath Medical Group

We are doing a lot more GI cases, and we’re experiencing complaints from the
pathologist about folds.  There are microscopic and are interfering with
taking images.

Can someone recommend tricks to the trade of minimizing these folds in the
sections?

Thank you in advance,

Paula

BioPath Medical Group

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