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Updated: Jan 25, 2026
06:42
A Multi-hole Cryovial Eliminates Freezing Artifacts when Muscle Tissues are Directly Immersed in Liquid Nitrogen
Published on: April 6, 2017
12.0K
Cryoembedder, automatic processor/stainer, liquid nitrogen freezing, and manual staining for frozen section
Salvatore Lorenzo Renne1, Silvia Redaelli2, Biagio Paolini2
1Anatomic Pathology Unit, Humanitas Clinical and Research Center - IRCCS, Italy.
Acta Histochemica
|May 13, 2019
Summary
This study compared a new commercial system to traditional frozen section examination (FSE) protocols. The commercial system significantly improved diagnostic quality, architecture, and staining compared to manual methods.
Area of Science:
- Surgical Pathology
- Histotechnology
Background:
- Frozen section examination (FSE) is crucial in surgical pathology but can be affected by artifacts.
- Variations in FSE protocols can compromise diagnostic accuracy and quality.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the diagnostic feasibility and quality of a commercial cryoembedder and processor/stainer system against a traditional FSE protocol.
- To evaluate the impact of different pre-analytical variables on frozen section quality.
Main Methods:
- Four experimental conditions were tested: Traditional (liquid nitrogen freezing, manual staining), Only-Presto (liquid nitrogen freezing, commercial processor/stainer), Only-PrestoCHILL (cryoembedder, manual staining), and PrestoSystem (cryoembedder, commercial processor/stainer).
- Diagnostic feasibility, overall architecture, cytology, and staining were scored and compared across conditions.
Main Results:
- The PrestoSystem demonstrated significantly higher scores in all evaluated categories (diagnosis feasibility, architecture, cytology, staining) compared to Traditional, Only-Presto, and Only-PrestoCHILL (P < .001).
- Both Only-Presto and Only-PrestoCHILL showed significant improvements over the Traditional method.
- Only-PrestoCHILL outperformed Only-Presto in cytology and architecture.
Conclusions:
- Implementing controlled pre-analytical variables using the commercial system leads to reproducible and higher-quality frozen sections.
- The commercial system offers a significant advancement over traditional manual FSE methods for improved diagnostic outcomes.
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