Two cores of biopsy tissue have been placed on a saline-moist filter paper covering the base of a plastic petri dish.   After glomeruli were identified by examination through the dissecting microscope, a 1 to 2 mm piece of tissue containing glomeruli was separated from the end of each core.  One of these small pieces of tissue will be placed in a solution of glutaraldehyde for EM, and the second piece will be placed in Michel's solution for IF examination.

The two remaining larger cores will be placed in formalin for LM.

See "How much tissue is enough?" for more information.

A hand lens may be used to enhance visibility, but in ordinary practice it is difficult/impossible to manipulate and position the hand lens without interfering with illumination of the specimen.  In addition, to appropriately divide a small specimen with a hand lens in one hand and a razor blade in the other is at the least difficult, and it may be dangerous. 

I have found that a good quality but rather inexpensive dissecting microscope, with 20 to 40 X magnification and with both transmitted and epi-illumination (light from both below and above the specimen) reliably permits excellent visualization and division of the biopsy specimen.

Biopsy kit contents, deployed for use.

The three color-coded and labeled bottles contain formalin, glutaraldehyde, & Michel's solution.

The petri dish contains a filter paper, moistened with normal saline from the dropper.

The broken wooden splints are used to manipulate the tissue, and the half razor blade is used to divide the specimen.

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