[Histonet] Apple Green Birefringence in Amyliod slides

[Ken M]

Hi everyone.  I was wondering if anyone out there has any experience with diagnosing Amyloid tissue using Congo Red stained Kidney using polarized lenses.  Is it common to use polarized light to detect Amyloid deposits?  Does the absence of the "apple green birefringence" indicate a problem with the control tissue or the control slides?  Should this green bifringence always appear to confirm the diagnosis?  I know that the tissue should be cut thicker than normal (we usually cut at 5), but in the future maybe we will cut at 7 or 8?