生検ならびに剖検組織のマイクロ波固定とホルマリン固定の比較

Microwave Fixation Versus Formalin Fixation of Surgical and Autopsy Tissue

　生検ならびに剖検組織のマイクロ波固定は，直ちに組織を穿通し，固定し，硬化する（マイクロ波に使用された組織浮遊液は，生理食塩水，10％リン酸緩衝ホルマリン，蒸留水からなる）．代表的器管サンプルからの組織片が試験された．比較切片は同時に真空オーブンで対照として，10％リン酸緩衝ホルマリン中で固定された．ヘマトキシリンとエオジンが切片の染色に使用された．対照法に比べて，同じか優れた成績が得られた．生理食塩水マイクロ波固定が，ホルマリンマイクロ波固定より優れていた．Zenker液で普通マイクロ波オーブンで（約1分間）固定された組織は，在来のZenker固定（約2時間）と少なくとも同様の成績を示した．Zenkerマイクロ波固定で組織の硬化は全くみられなかった．独特の時間温度曲線（マイクロ波加熱曲線）は，この技法の変差を減少させる．

Microwave irradiation of surgical and autopsy tissue penetrates, fixes, and hardens the tissue almost immediately (the fluid media used in the microwave consisted of saline, ten percent phosphate buffered formalin, and distilled water). Tissue sections from a representative sample of organs were tested. Comparable sections were simultaneously fixed in a phosphate buffered ten percent formalin bath in a vacuum oven as a control. Hematoxylin and eosin were used to stain the sections. Results equal to and superior to the control method were obtained. Saline microwave fixation was superior to formalin microwave fixation. Tissues placed in Zenker's solution*2 and fixed in standard microwave oven (for approximately one minute) yielded results at least equal to conventional Zenker fixation (approximately two hours). No tissue hardening resulted from Zenker microwave fixation. A unique time versus temperature graph (microwave heating curve) reduces individual variation with this technique.