[Histonet] Re: Histogel

[Patsy Ruegg]

I agree with the Samuri on histogel, it can be a great tool for making cell
blocks but sometimes once I get the block to the microtome either for
frozens or ffpe blocks it does not section well and can be a nightmare.

Patsy Ruegg, HT(ASCP)QIHC
IHCtech
12635 Montview Blvd. Ste.215
Aurora, CO 80045
720-859-4060
fax 720-859-4110
www.ihctech.net 
www.ihcrg.org

-----Original Message-----
From: histonet-bounces <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu
[mailto:histonet-bounces <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu] On Behalf Of Robert
Richmond
Sent: Monday, June 27, 2011 11:18 AM
To: histonet <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu
Subject: [Histonet] Re: Histogel

Histogel is indeed expensive, and often not permitted by Management
for that reason.

Preparing your own agar is a bit tricky - you really need a hot plate
and a magnetic stirrer, unlikely items in a histology lab. (2% or 3%
dry agar, in water.)

Back before hospital microbiology turned into the black box it is
today, you used to be able to walk across the hall and pick up a tube
of trypticase soy agar (TSA - I think it was 3% agar with some stuff
in it to make bugs grow) and use that.

One way to use agar is for the pathologist to pour out some melted
agar on a glass slide or metal ruler, and embed small specimens in it
so they stay oriented - works great for temporal artery biopsies and
vasectomy specimens - time consuming.

A blood bank heating block is useful for keeping tubes of agar melted
at the gross desk.

Whether you use Histogel or some other agar, it's very important not
to commit any valuable specimens to it until you're sure it works in
your system. I like to carve out some "pseudo-biopsies" from a normal
mucosa in a colon resection specimen and run them. - I've seen some
disasters when this precaution wasn't taken.

Bob Richmond
Samurai Pathologist
Knoxville TN

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