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Techniques and Technical Tips | |
| Unexpected Artifact in Liver Biopsies - Page 3 | ||
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| Figure 3. Hepatocytes at the outer surface of the block show typical round nuclei, preserved nucleoplasm and mitochondrial matrices, lamellar endoplasmic reticulum, and microbodies. Mitochondria display paracrystalline inclusions. Magnification = 7,000X | Figure 4. Hepatocytes between the outer and central areas of the biopsy show some loss of nucleoplasm and mitochondrial matrix, fragmentation of ER, and degranulation of microbodies. Paracrystalline inclusions are still apparent in the mitochondria. Magnification = 7,000X | |
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Figure 5. Hepatocytes in the central area of the core. Note that the nuclei are condensed, that most of the mitochondrial matrix has been lost, and that the mitochodria are swollen. The cisternae of ER and the microbodies are not easily recognizable. Paracrystalline inclusions are still visible in the mitochondria. Magnification = 7,000X | |
The areas of poor preservation resemble those encountered when there is a delay of fixation. The fact that the cells in the center of the core are more adversely affected than those at the periphery suggests a longer delay at the center. Also, because there is a transition from well-preserved to poorly-preserved, one could suggest that penetration of fixative is progressively slowed toward the center of the core. The obvious concern is that care must be taken in selecting fields for electron microscopy because of the variation in ultrastructure within the sample. Also, it is suggested that to avoid the artifact, the core sample should be cut into smaller blocks before being placed into fixative. This requires good communication and coordination between the laboratory and biopsy personnel. |
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