[Histonet] RE: Prostate Needle Bx

[Morken, Timothy]

Currently we use the sponges but have always had problems with getting the cores to be straight and getting a whole core in one tissue section. Plus counting the cores and correlating that at embedding. 

However, we are testing out a system called SmartBx that is an entire system starting at taking the Bx. It uses an imaging system to guide the bx, then a special bx needle system that places the core in a special cassette on a piece of treated paper - perfectly straight and flat. The cores adhere to the paper and the paper goes through to the final block using special molds at embedding. At grossing the bx/paper is simply placed in a cassette and sent to processing. At embedding the paper w/bx is placed tissue-down in the special mold and pressed down with an associated tamper. The final block has perfectly straight cores at the same level exactly 100um from the block face. 

There has been a learning curve but overall it makes prostate bx's very easy to handle in grossing and at embedding. the slides have full face cores on every single one.

Kind of expensive though, so probably only worthwhile if you do a lot of these. 

http://www.uc-care.com/products/smartbx


Tim Morken
Supervisor, Histology, Electron Microscopy and Neuromuscular Special Studies
UC San Francisco Medical Center
San Francisco, CA

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-----Original Message-----
From: histonet-bounces <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu [mailto:histonet-bounces <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu] On Behalf Of Laurie Colbert
Sent: Wednesday, December 03, 2014 8:49 AM
To: Histonet Post (histonet <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu)
Subject: [Histonet] Prostate Needle Bx

How do others process prostate needle bx's - what kind of cassettes do you use?  Do you use sponges?  Do you wrap the tissue in lens paper?  Do you process them on a biopsy (short) run?  Our bx's always seem to be less than optimal, but we do not have problems with other small bx's.

Laurie Colbert
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