Interference microscopic determination of the section thickness of different paraffin-embedded organ tissues

With respect to the significance of the section thickness in quantitative-morphological studies the thickness of different paraffin-embedded tissue sections was determined by interference microscopy. Within the range of 3-5 microns the measurements revealed accordance of the measured section thickness with that adjusted on the sliding microtome. In the range surpassing 5 microns the section thickness obtained was in all cases lower than that adjusted on the microtome. The deviations were up to 40%.