[Histonet] RE: Nuclear "Artifact"

[Morken, Timothy]

"One pathologist said it looks like the tissue has been cooked."  Which could also be drying artifact after bx, before formalin.

"The only issue is we can have two biopsies right next to one another in the basket one looks good and one looks bad. My director also thinks it is the processors."

Same processor but two results? Solving intermittent problems takes time to check variables - time almost no one wants to spend to check out every possibility. But if one variable is the same for both, and the result is different, then most likely it is a different variable causing the problem.

I think the other idea suggested of checking the handling of the tissue at the source of the biopsy is more likely to shed some light on this issue. 


Tim Morken
Pathology Site Manager, Parnassus 
Supervisor, Electron Microscopy/Neuromuscular Special Studies
Department of Pathology
UC San Francisco Medical Center





-----Original Message-----
From: histonet-bounces <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu [mailto:histonet-bounces <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu] On Behalf Of Sue
Sent: Tuesday, April 21, 2015 4:55 PM
To: Lisa Roy
Cc: histonet <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu
Subject: Re: [Histonet] Nuclear "Artifact"

OMG we are experiencing the same issue. At first it was just GI and now we are seeing it on prostate. One pathologist said it looks like the tissue has been cooked. The only issue is we can have two biopsies right next to one another in the basket one looks good and one looks bad. My director also thinks it is the processors. I had Thermo out and they could find nothing. We changed out all the reagents and the biopsies were fine than two days later we had some bad ones. I know in July Fisher had a formalin recall associated to the mixture of buffer, water and formalin. We thought that might be it but it is now almost a year later and all the bad formalin should be gone. The histotechs say the tissue is crunchy and they are right. I am running a test tonight of a small needle biopsy that I made from a colon. I placed it is straight formaldehyde overnight and am processing it on our biopsy cycle tonight. My director also wanted us to only put three levels on our Thermo, but he wanted the middle level to have empty baskets. I stopped that today because I think the other issue is that the poor biopsies may be on the top level and as the reagents are used the level changes, and also due to displacement with the middle level being empty the reagent levels may not reach the top. We just do not have the manpower to inspect every reagent every day, we have 6 processor and it would take a tech all day. We actually take a digital picture when they come out of the processor. I want to check my problems cases tomorrow. We do not use sponges but the only other like was the PA who was wrapping the blue paper very tight around the tissue. I really do not think this is the issue though.. Any other insight would be greatly appreciated. 

Susan T. Paturzo 
TJUH 
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