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Fixation and Sectioning

Fixation and Sectioning

Two basic types of preparation are used to visualize specimens with a light microscope: wet mounts and fixed specimens.
The simplest type of preparation is the wet mount, in which the specimen is placed in a drop of liquid on the slide. A liquid specimen can be directly deposited on the slide using a dropper. Solid specimens, such as skin scraping, can be placed on the slide before adding a drop of liquid to prepare the wet mount. Sometimes the liquid is simply water, but stains are often added...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 3, 2026

Optimization, Design and Avoiding Pitfalls in Manual Multiplex Fluorescent Immunohistochemistry

Optimization, Design and Avoiding Pitfalls in Manual Multiplex Fluorescent Immunohistochemistry

Published on: July 26, 2019

Histologic pitfalls in the Mohs technique.

Navid Bouzari¹, Suzanne Olbricht

¹Department of Dermatology, Lahey Clinic, Burlington, MA, USA.

Dermatologic Clinics

|March 23, 2011

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

The Mohs procedure

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Last Updated: Jun 3, 2026

Optimization, Design and Avoiding Pitfalls in Manual Multiplex Fluorescent Immunohistochemistry

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Published on: May 29, 2017

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Area of Science:

Dermatology
Pathology
Surgical Techniques

Background:

The Mohs procedure is a specialized surgical technique for skin cancer removal.
Its success relies heavily on meticulous histologic preparation and accurate interpretation of tissue specimens.

Purpose of the Study:

To identify and detail potential pitfalls in the histologic processing and interpretation steps of the Mohs procedure.
To emphasize the importance of addressing these challenges for successful surgical outcomes.

Main Methods:

Review of common challenges encountered during Mohs tissue handling, including debulking, orientation, sectioning, inking, freezing, staining, and mapping.
Analysis of diagnostic difficulties such as distinguishing inflammatory conditions from tumor and identifying perineural invasion.

Main Results:

Histologic preparation involves numerous steps where errors can occur, impacting specimen integrity and accuracy.
Slide interpretation presents diagnostic challenges including artifacts like 'floaters' and mimics of malignancy.

Conclusions:

Successful Mohs surgery requires rigorous attention to detail throughout all histologic processing and interpretation stages.
Addressing identified pitfalls through training and case experience is crucial for improving Mohs procedure reliability.