[Measurement of the thickness and surface area of cell fragments and histological structures isolated from...

A direct method is described of measuring the thickness of cell fragments and histological structures isolated from freeze-dried tissue sections and a planimetric method of measuring their surface area is presented. A special device mounted on the object holder of the microscope has been used to smooth out and to turn the fragments. The thickness of fragment of the rabbit Deiter's nucleus neuron and that of the molecular layer of the rat cerebellar cortex was measured with errors of 3.1 and 1.5, respectively, and their surface areas were measured with errors of 2.2 and 0.8%, respectively. The methods can be used in quantitative cyto- and histochemistry for obtaining data needed for calculation of the volumes cell fragments or structures isolated from freeze-dried tissue sections. The mean thickness of the freeze-dried section may differ from the cryostat microtome feed setting by 20-50%; therefore the cryostat microtome feed setting cannot be used in calculations of the volume of a fragment isolated from the freeze dried section.