[Histonet] Ethanol/other fixations for frozen sections

[Stephen Peters M.D.]

Hi Andrea,
   
  I have always used 95% ETOH with excellent results. In hopes to expand
   my knowledge on fixatives I asked a similar question a few months ago. I had 
  a number of kind responses and I mixed up and a number of the suggestions.
   I looked ethanol methanol  alone and in various combination with formalin and 
  acetic acid. Considering only morphology (as a surgical pathologist), ethanol 
  and methanol alone and in the various combinations all gave beautiful
   preparations with excellent nuclear detail provided slides were fixed as quickly 
  as possible after tissue is picked up with the slide. Formalin alone and acetone
   alone showed less nuclear detail.. From my reading acetic acid added to the 
  mix should give less retraction. In my limited study I did not appreciate very 
  much difference. The good thing is that all of these kind suggestions were 
  quite excellent so it appeared to me that everyone was probably getting very 
  good results with their coctails. AS I menion in my web site tutorial I think the
   most important factor is to fix the slide ASAP after it touches the slide because drying artifacts will considerably alter the morphology. Thank you to all of those 
  who responded to my question. 
   
   


Stephen Peters M.D. 
Vice Chairman of Pathology
Hackensack University Medical Center 
201 996 4836
 
Pathology Innovations, LLC 
410 Old Mill Lane, 
Wyckoff, NJ 07481 
201 847 7600 
www.pathologyinnovations.com