[Histonet] copper in tissue (removing tissue from heat fixed slides)

[RSRICHMOND <@t> aol.com]

Carmen Leschuk inquires whether it's possible to send sections for 
quantitative copper determination, when the paraffin block has been exhausted.

Mayo Medical Laboratories (who probably does more of these than anybody) 
requires 5 to 10 mm of paraffin-embedded liver tissue, so I'm afraid you're out of 
luck.

Liver copper needs to be quantitated in Wilson's disease, a complex genetic 
disease that manifests in many different ways, sometimes as chronic liver 
disease with cirrhosis, sometimes as a brain disease.

I'm afraid the biopsy will have to be repeated, or the diagnosis made in some 
other way.

Bob Richmond
Samurai Pathologist
Knoxville TN and Gastonia NC