Summary
In this study, the effects of fixation procedures, embedding medium and section thickness on stereological measurements of normal thyroid were analysed. The following conclusions were drawn:
-
A)
the use of a single section for the analysis of a lobe is sufficient if this section is located in the central part of the lobe.
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B)
fixation and embedding with glutaraldehyde-Epon leads to a larger shrinkage than Bouin-paraplast, but the difference between the two procedures is not significant.
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C)
osmium post-fixation reduces the shrinkage induced by glutaraldehyde and lowers the axial deformation produced by sectioning.
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D)
Bouin's fixative and paraplast embedding induce considerable shrink-age of the interstitial tissue. The shrinkage obtained with glutaraldehyde-Epon is less. However, it is still not known whether this difference is due to the fixative, or to the embedding procedure or to both.
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E)
only in glutaraldehyde and osmium-fixed material, embedded in Epon, can follicles and colloids be assumed to be spherical in shape without significant errors.
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Research supported by grant 3.4532. 75 of the “Fonds de la Recherche Scientifique Médicale” (Brussels)
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Denef, J.F., Cordier, A.C., Mesquita, M. et al. The influence of fixation procedure, embedding medium and section thickness on morphometric data in thyroid gland. Histochemistry 63, 163–171 (1979). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00644538
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00644538