Pathological examination is an indispensable “gold standard” in modern medical diagnosis. When patients seek medical treatment for diseases such as tumors and inflammation, doctors often recommend pathological examination to clarify the nature of the lesion. It is like a “detective” in the medical field, providing key clues for disease diagnosis through “clues” under the microscope.
The core process of pathological examination includes sampling, fixation, dehydration, embedding, sectioning, staining, and observation. Doctors obtain diseased tissue from patients’ bodies (such as surgically removed masses, endoscopic biopsy samples, etc.), process it in a series of ways to make thin slices, and then use staining techniques to make the cell structure clearly visible. Ultimately, pathologists can determine whether a lesion is benign or malignant, at which stage it is located, and even detect early small cancerous lesions based on the morphology, arrangement, and tissue structure of cells under the microscope.
Taking cancer diagnosis as an example, early cancer often has no obvious symptoms, but abnormal proliferation and invasion characteristics of cancer cells can be captured through pathological sections, which can buy valuable time for treatment. It can be said that pathological examination is the bridge connecting patients with precise treatment, providing the most reliable basis for clinical decision-making.
Why slice? The ‘pathological code’ under the microscope
Pathological sectioning is a technique of cutting tissue samples into thin sections and staining them to make them clear and distinguishable under a microscope. This process may seem simple, but it is actually of great significance.
1. Provide organizational structure information: By observing cell morphology, arrangement, and organizational structure, pathologists can determine whether the tissue is abnormal, as well as the type and degree of abnormality.
2. Determine pathological changes: Slices can reveal tissue changes caused by diseases, such as tumor infiltration depth, lymph node metastasis, etc., providing a basis for clinical staging and treatment plans.
3. Diagnosed diseases: Pathological sections are the “gold standard” for diagnosing diseases such as tumors and inflammation. For example, by slicing, the source, type, and degree of differentiation of tumors can be clearly identified, and even early lesions that are difficult to detect by other examinations can be discovered.
Taking lung cancer diagnosis as an example, slicing can not only distinguish between lung adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma, but also detect tumor markers through immunohistochemistry, helping doctors choose targeted treatment drugs. Without slicing techniques, many diseases may only remain in the “suspected” stage, and patients will miss the best treatment opportunity.
What equipment is needed for slicing? Precision weapons from sampling to diagnosis
The production of pathological sections requires a series of precision equipment, which are like a doctor’s “surgical knife”, ensuring that every step of the operation is precise and error free.
1. Material collection equipment：
Surgical instruments: including scalpels, biopsy forceps, puncture needles, etc., used to obtain diseased tissue from the patient’s body.
Endoscopic system: such as gastroscopes, colonoscopes, bronchoscopes, etc., can clamp suspicious tissue for biopsy under direct vision.
2. Fixing equipment and processor：
Fixative: For example, formalin, used to quickly fix tissue structure and prevent cell autolysis.
Dehydrator: Dehydrates tissues through gradient alcohol dehydration to prepare for subsequent embedding and slicing.
3. Embedding system and microtome：
Paraffin embedding machine: immerses the dehydrated tissue into molten paraffin, which forms a solid wax block after cooling.
Microtome: cuts the wax block into 4-6micron slices, ensuring that the slices are flat and continuous.
4. Staining equipment and cover slipper：
Staining machine: Through hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining or other special staining methods, the cell structure is clearly visible.
cover slipper: The stained slices are sealed with gum for long-term storage and observation.
Taking the paraffin microtome of Hisure as an example, it adopts a modular design, with high cutting accuracy and strong stability, conforms to ergonomic principles, and is simple and comfortable to operate. The device covers the entire length of the blade and the sliding clutch anti-locking system to ensure safe use, making it an ideal choice for clinical tissue pathology research.
What is the microtome ?
A microtome is a precision instrument that slices paraffin-embedded biological tissue samples into thin slices. It is widely used in medical pathology diagnosis, biological research, and teaching. By cutting tissue into 4-6micron slices, researchers can observe the fine structure of cells and tissues under a microscope, providing important basis for disease diagnosis, pathology research, and new drug development.
Paraffin microtome can be divided into fully automatic microtome, semi-automatic microtome, and rotary microtome according to the degree of automation and slicing method.
Fully automatic microtome
Advantages:
Highly automated: From sample loading, slicing to collection, the whole process is completed automatically, reducing human operation errors.
Precise slicing: Adopting high-precision transmission system and intelligent control, the slice thickness is uniform (usually accurate to 1 micron).
High efficiency: Continuous slicing speed is fast, suitable for large-scale sample processing.
Strong safety: Equipped with safety locking system and fault self-checking function to reduce operation risks.
Applicable scenarios: Pathology department of large hospitals, scientific research laboratories, and drug development institutions.
Example：HISURE HS-3385 Fully automatic microtome，equipped with a 5-inch color touch screen, it supports intelligent diagnosis and prompts and is easy to operate.
Semi-automatic microtome
Advantages:
Flexible operation: Manual assistance is required to load samples and adjust parameters, but the slicing process is partially automated.
Low cost: Compared with fully automatic models, the price is more affordable and suitable for laboratories with limited budgets.
Easy to maintain: The structure is relatively simple, and the repair and maintenance costs are low.
Applicable scenarios: small and medium-sized hospitals, teaching laboratories, and primary medical institutions.
Example：HISURE HS-3355 Semi-automatic microtome，The stable gantry design allows for precise hard tissue sectioning.
Manual microtome
Advantages:
High quality of slices: Cutting by rotating blades, the slices are flat and continuous, suitable for making high-quality pathological slices.
Easy to operate: The handwheel design is ergonomic, labor-saving, and suitable for long-term use.
Strong compatibility: The knife holder can be compatible with wide knives and narrow knives to meet different slicing requirements.
Applicable scenarios: Pathology diagnosis center, scientific research laboratory, pharmaceutical company.
Example：HISURE HS-2205 Manual microtome，known for its high precision and stability, it is widely used in the field of pathology diagnosis around the world.
How to choose a suitable paraffin microtome？
According to the needs: If you need to process a large number of samples, the fully automatic one is more efficient; if the budget is limited, the semi-automatic one is a good choice.
According to the quality of the slices: When the flatness and continuity of the slices are required, the manual microtome is more suitable.
According to the operating habits: Laboratories that like manual operation may prefer manual one, while users who pursue convenience are suitable for fully automatic one.
Conclusion: Technology empowers pathological examination and protects life and health
Pathological examination is the cornerstone of medical diagnosis; paraffin sections are the key to uncovering the truth of the disease. From sampling to diagnosis, every step is inseparable from the support of precision equipment. The introduction of advanced foreign technology has not only improved diagnostic efficiency, but also brought more hope to patients.
As a supplier of pathological testing equipment, HISURE SCIENTIFIC has always been committed to providing the best products and services to medical institutions around the world. In the future, we will continue to cooperate with scientific research institutions to promote
