Hi Paula Lucas, First of all, I agree with Michelle Bell, she's an expert. ... but what you are describing as "microscopic folds" in your GI biopsies is what I would describe as simply "micro-chatter". A picture of the artifact would clear up any doubt.
Chatter is VERY common in GI biopsies (*notorious actually*)... as they are small and subject to overprocessing. The trick to solving it is to trim the block and then take it out of the chuck and soak it in water a bit before re-inserting it (careful not to change the angle)and sectioning. The type of soak and how long would need to be determined. Some people use a short warm water soak, then back to ice water to harden the paraffin before sectioning. Others simply use an ice water soak for a little longer. Then you take the first few complete sections. (those that have been rehydrated) The fact that you state: "sections appear flat and well-relaxed on the water bath with no *visible* gross folds" furthers my belief that you're dealing with "microchatter". With the right type of soak you will be "AMAZED" at the result! Try trimming and soaking and see if it helps. Best Regards, Robert L. Lott, HTL(ASCP) --------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Michelle Bell <[email protected]> Date: Fri, 13 Feb 2026 Subject: Re: [Histonet] GI biopsies Paula, Is this a new occurrence or has it always been a problem? I would suggest you first determine if the folds are present after microtomy before staining. You should be able to view the folds on your paraffin sections. It is possible that the tissue is lifting, especially if you feel there are no folds present when you pick up the sections. If you can’t see the folds before staining, then the tissue is lifting during staining. This can be caused by a slide oven not hot enough or not long enough in The slide oven. It can also be that your water pressure is too high. It can also be that your slides are not adhesive enough. If you’re seeing the wrinkles prior to staining, then the alcohol may help. Today's Topics: 1. Re: Histonet Digest, Vol 267, Issue 3 (Samantha Rice) 2. Re: [EXTERNAL] GI biopsies (Hannen, Valerie) 3. Re: GI biopsies (Michelle Bell) On Thu, Feb 12, 2026 at 11:00 AM <[email protected]> wrote: > Today's Topics: > > 1. GI biopsies (Paula) > Subject: [Histonet] GI biopsies > Dear Colleagues, > > I’m reaching out to the group to ask for input regarding microscopic folds > in GI biopsy sections. I’m hoping for some “tricks of the trade” > suggestions. > > In our lab, sections appear flat and well-relaxed on the water bath with no > visible gross folds. However, after H&E staining, the pathologist > identifies > epithelial microfolds in small GI biopsies (esophagus, stomach, colon). > These are not visible before staining and are occurring across multiple > techs. > > We currently use Leica Paraplast Plus (polymer-enhanced paraffin). We have > reviewed and optimized: > > • Embedding orientation (flat, mucosa aligned) > • Water bath temperature and float time > • Blade angle and cutting speed > • Section thickness (4 µm) > > Despite this, we continue to see post-stain microfolding. > For those of you who cut a high volume of GI biopsies: > Have you found certain paraffins perform better (e.g., low-melt, > non-polymer)? > > Do you run a different water bath temperature specifically for GI? > > Any “tricks of the trade” for minimizing epithelial compression > that aren’t in the textbooks? > > I would greatly appreciate any practical advice or shared experience. Thank > you in advance for your insights. > > Best regards, > Paula Lucas > Histology Laboratory/BioPath Medical Group > We are doing a lot more GI cases, and we’re experiencing complaints from > the pathologist about folds. There are microscopic and are interfering with > taking images. > > Can someone recommend tricks to the trade of minimizing these folds in the > sections? > > Thank you in advance, > Paula > BioPath Medical Group _______________________________________________ Histonet mailing list [email protected] http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet
