Microarchitecture of the Normal Gut Seen with Conventional Histology and Endomicroscopy

Abstract

For ex vivo histological examination of the gastrointestinal tract, fractions of an organ or small pieces of tissue are needed. Several steps are used in the fixation, staining, and mounting process to ensure production of good-quality histology on glass slides. The most frequently used stain in routine histology is the haematoxylin and eosin (H&E) stain. The most frequently used tissue-staining methods are shown in ⊡ Table 6.1. The final histopathological diagnosis is always based on examination of the whole sample and the structure and architecture of that sample. In cytology, single cells and nuclei are used for making a diagnosis, so staining procedures in cytology are much faster and easier to perform.