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-boun...@lists.utsouthwestern.edu [mailto:histonet-boun...@lists.utsouthwestern.edu] On Behalf Of Robert Richmond Sent: Monday, June 27, 2011 11:18 AM To: histonet@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 _______________________________________________ Histonet mailing list Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet _______________________________________________ Histonet mailing list Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet