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Artefacts in histopathology

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Abstract

What one may see upon microscopic examination of sections of specimens of human and animal tissues is not always related to the normal histology or pathology of the tissue in question. Defects or abnormalities in tissue sections may result from the faulty processing of the tissue specimens. These are referred to as artefacts. Some artefacts are easily distinguished from normal or pathological tissue components, and some are difficult to distinguish from such entities. With the aid of images of tissue sections, this paper will endeavour to illustrate some of the many hundreds of artefacts that are most frequently encountered in the preparation of microscopic tissue sections. Artefacts may occur at different stages in the routine collection of tissues, fixation, processing, cutting and staining of tissues. This paper will cover the artefacts resulting at each stage of the above processes in a sequential manner. In providing reliable information about different artefacts and the stage at which they occurred, it is hoped that techniques will be improved to reduce artefact occurrence in the future.

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Abbreviations

CNS:

central nervous system

H and E:

haematoxylin and eosin

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Acknowledgements

The author would like to thank David Bell for loan of some of the photomicrographs.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Huntingdon Life Sciences, Woolley Road, Alconbury, Cambs, PE28 4HS, UK

    Elizabeth McInnes

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  1. Elizabeth McInnes
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Correspondence to Elizabeth McInnes.

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McInnes, E. Artefacts in histopathology. Comp Clin Path 13, 100–108 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00580-004-0532-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00580-004-0532-4

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