[Histonet] Microwave Processing

[Marshall Terry Dr, Consultant Histopathologist]

Thanks Steven. It was the Leong method to which I referred.
I am totally befuddled over fixation in the microwave. Surely in the Leong method (for blocks), the saline is irrelevent other than as a carrier and buffer medium, and it is heat fixation?

Firming up breasts in the microwave seems fun - but the breasts in Yorkshire are bigger than the microwaves:-)

Dr Terry L Marshall, B.A.(Law), M.B.,Ch.B.,F.R.C.Path
 Consultant Pathologist
 Rotherham General Hospital
 South Yorkshire
 England
        terry.marshall <@t> rothgen.nhs.uk

-----Original Message-----
From: Steven E. Slap [mailto:siksik03 <@t> comcast.net]
Sent: 17 April 2004 22:54
To: Marshall Terry Dr, Consultant Histopathologist; kevin williams;
histonet <@t> pathology.swmed.edu
Subject: RE: [Histonet] Microwave Processing


Hi Terry & HistoNetters

I have done lots of successful large organ 
stabilization in saline at 65°C for 20-35 minutes 
(depending on the size of the organ.  However, it 
is important to emphasize that the purpose of 
this step usually is to firm up the tissue so 
that it can be subsequently cut up into thinner 
pieces for processing, which must include a 
fixation step, either in the microwave or on a 
conventional processor, in formalin or some 
non-formalin fixative.  The saline will not work 
alone as a fixation step, except in the case of 
very small biopsies (as written up in an article 
by Tony Leong)-  a procedure I have not tried 
myself.

best regards,
Steven Slap
Microwave Consultant


At 3:58 PM +0100 4/16/04, Marshall Terry Dr,
	Consultant Histopathologist wrote:
>Sorry to but in - but on a related question - 
>does anyone do microwave fixation in saline as 
>described by for instance the Melbourne group, 
>which involves bringing up to 65C in saline?
>Have tried it this week and the sections are even crummier than usual.
>When I was in Tasmania, a local private lab. did 
>it and their sections were fine.