TY - JOUR
T1 - Improved method of producing satisfactory sections of whole eyeball by routine histology
AU - Benjamin, Arko Boham
AU - Ahenkorah, John
AU - Hottor, Bismarck Afedo
AU - Dennis, Esther
AU - Frederick, Kwaku Addai
PY - 2014/2
Y1 - 2014/2
N2 - To overcome the loss of structural integrity when eyeball sections are prepared by wax embedding, we experimentally modified the routine histological procedure and report satisfactorily well-preserved antero-posterior sections of whole eyeballs for teaching/learning purposes. Presently histological sections of whole eyeballs are not readily available because substantial structural distortions attributable to variable consistency of tissue components (and their undesired differential shrinkage) result from routine processing. Notably, at the dehydration stage of processing, the soft, gel-like vitreous humor considerably shrinks relative to the tough fibrous sclera causing collapse of the ocular globe. Additionally, the combined effects of fixation, dehydration, and embedding at 60°C renders the eye lens too hard for microtome slicing at thicknesses suitable for light microscopy. We satisfactorily preserved intact antero-posterior sections of eyeballs via routine paraffin wax processing procedure entailing two main modifications; (i) careful needle aspiration of vitreous humor and replacement with molten wax prior to wax infiltration; (ii) softening of lens in trimmed wax block by placing a drop of concentrated liquid phenol on it for 3 h during microtomy. These variations of the routine histological method produced intact whole eyeball sections with retinal detachment as the only structural distortion. Intact sections of the eyeball obtained compares well with the laborious, expensive, and 8-week long celloidin method. Our method has wider potential usability than costly freeze drying method which requires special skills and equipment (cryotome) and does not produce whole eyeball sections. Microsc. Res. Tech. 77:138-142, 2014.
AB - To overcome the loss of structural integrity when eyeball sections are prepared by wax embedding, we experimentally modified the routine histological procedure and report satisfactorily well-preserved antero-posterior sections of whole eyeballs for teaching/learning purposes. Presently histological sections of whole eyeballs are not readily available because substantial structural distortions attributable to variable consistency of tissue components (and their undesired differential shrinkage) result from routine processing. Notably, at the dehydration stage of processing, the soft, gel-like vitreous humor considerably shrinks relative to the tough fibrous sclera causing collapse of the ocular globe. Additionally, the combined effects of fixation, dehydration, and embedding at 60°C renders the eye lens too hard for microtome slicing at thicknesses suitable for light microscopy. We satisfactorily preserved intact antero-posterior sections of eyeballs via routine paraffin wax processing procedure entailing two main modifications; (i) careful needle aspiration of vitreous humor and replacement with molten wax prior to wax infiltration; (ii) softening of lens in trimmed wax block by placing a drop of concentrated liquid phenol on it for 3 h during microtomy. These variations of the routine histological method produced intact whole eyeball sections with retinal detachment as the only structural distortion. Intact sections of the eyeball obtained compares well with the laborious, expensive, and 8-week long celloidin method. Our method has wider potential usability than costly freeze drying method which requires special skills and equipment (cryotome) and does not produce whole eyeball sections. Microsc. Res. Tech. 77:138-142, 2014.
KW - Antero-posterior
KW - Light microscopy
KW - Ocular globe
KW - Paraffin wax
KW - Phenol
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84892808978&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1002/jemt.22320
DO - 10.1002/jemt.22320
M3 - Article
C2 - 24249388
AN - SCOPUS:84892808978
SN - 1059-910X
VL - 77
SP - 138
EP - 142
JO - Microscopy Research and Technique
JF - Microscopy Research and Technique
IS - 2
ER -