[1S] UNIT 1.2 Instrumentation in Histopathology Flashcards
Medical Technologists are also known as
Clinical Laboratory Scientists
Overview of Different Laboratory Procedures
Numbering
Fixation
Decalcification*
Dehydration
Clearing
Impregnation
Embedding
Blocking
Trimming
Sectioning
Staining
Mounting
Labelling
A procedure in which we assign a specific code/id for a particular specimen as the cassette containing the specimen is too small to include every specific detail
Numbering/Accessioning
T/F: Numbering may be a combination of numbers and letters
T
T/F: Site numbers (different areas of an organ) are not included if several sites are used
F; may also be included
The process of preserving the tissues and its cellular constituents
Fixation
● To prevent autolysis
● For the pathologists to read clearly and correctly to get an accurate diagnosis
Fixation
Fixation reagent
Formalin
The process of removing calcium ions to soften the tissue for easier cutting
Decalcification
T/F: All specimens undergo decalcification
F; not all
Decalcification reagent
Nitric Acid
The process of removing water or excess water
Dehydration
Why is water removed in a specimen?
Excess water is removed so that infiltration is performed properly
Dehydration reagent
Alcohol
● The process of removing alcohol
● Alcohol is removed to perform Impregnation or infiltration properly
Clearing
Clearing agent
Xylene
● The process of infiltrating the tissue with solution that will fill up the natural spaces to maintain the integrity of the specimen appearance
○ This provides rigid support for the tissues
○ To maintain the appearance and shape of the tissue microscopically
Impregnation / Infiltration
Impregnation reagent
Paraffin Wax
● The process of forming tissue block using a mold
● This is needed to perform cutting on a particular site
Embedding & Blocking
● The process of removing excess wax
● _________ __________ is created so that we can prepare a tissue ribbon properly
Trimming
Truncated pyramid
The process of cutting the tissue into micro thin slices of tissue
Sectioning / Cutting
● The process of coloring the tissues to clearly identify cells clearly, correctly, and accurately
● To differentiate cell from one another
Staining
● The process of securing the slide with a coverslip (permanent)
● To protect the stained slide
● Performed to protect the slide during handling and storage
Mounting
● The process of providing a particular label
● Assigned number is also used for this process
Labelling
How many steps are in tissue processing without decalcification?
12
Characterized by the transfer of tissues, contained within a basket, through a series of stationary reagents arranged inline or in a circular carousel plan
AUTOMATED TISSUE PROCESSOR: Tissue Transfer Processors (Carousel-Type)
TISSUE TRANSFER PROCESSORS (CAROUSEL-TYPE)
● ___ reagent positions & ___ wax positions
● Capacity = __________
● 9-10 and 2-3
● 30-110 cassettes
are the instruments where sample tissue is placed
Cassettes
Characterized by processing fluids pumped to and from a retort in which the tissues remain stationary
AUTOMATED TISSUE PROCESSOR: Fluid Transfer Processors
FLUID-TRANSFER PROCESSORS
● _____ reagent stations with temperatures adjustable between ______
● ___ paraffin wax stations with variable temperature settings between ______
● Capacity: _________
● 10-12 reagent stations with temperatures adjustable between 30-45°C
● 3-4 paraffin wax stations with variable temperature settings between 48-68°C
● Capacity: 100-300 cassettes
ADVANTAGES OF USING BOTH TISSUE-TRANSFER AND FLUID-TRANSFER
T/F: Flexibility of reagent selection
T
ADVANTAGES OF USING BOTH TISSUE-TRANSFER AND FLUID-TRANSFER
T/F: The conditions and schedule are designed to provide optimum processing even for the small batches of tissues
T
TISSUE PROCESSING
Used for making tissue blocks
Tissue Embedding Center
TISSUE PROCESSING
Advantage:
○ It has a refrigeration system
■ The cold platform in the equipment
■ To solidify the tissue
■ Paraffin is solidified for the tissue to be stable
Tissue Embedding Center
TISSUE PROCESSING: TISSUE EMBEDDING CENTER
Run the tissue embedding center for about _ hours to make sure paraffin wax is melted in the paraffin chamber
5
TISSUE PROCESSING: TISSUE EMBEDDING CENTER
T/F: Not all blocking steps can be performed with the help of this machine
F; All blocking steps can be performed
EMBEDDING PROCESS
What temperature should the paraffin be and wax melting point?
61°C
55-57°C (wax melting point)
EMBEDDING PROCESS
T/F: Place cassettes in the paraffin reservoir in numerical order
T
PARTS OF THE TISSUE EMBEDDING CENTER
The cool system of the Tissue Embedding Center
Freon Refrigeration System