2. ● The frozen section procedure is a pathological
laboratory procedure to perform rapid
microscopic analysis of a specimen.
● The technical name is CRYO-SECTION.
● It is a method that produces the sections
without dehydrating, clearing agents and
embedding media as well.
3. ● History
– Resulted from need for rapid intraoperative
Diagnosis.
– Mayo clinic chief of pathology Louis B Wilson
pioneered the frozen section in 1905.
4. ● Uses of Frozen section in histology laboratory
– Rapid production of sections for intraoperative
diagnosis.
– Diagnostic and research of enzyme histochemistry.
Enzymes are labile
– Immunofluorescent methods
– Immunohistochemistry methods: heat and fixation
may inactivate or destroy antigens.
– Diagnostic and research non-enzyme
histochemistry – eg lipids and carbohydrates.
– Silver methods used particularly in neuropathology.
5. ● Indications of frozen sections.
– Urgent diagnosis during surgery
– Determine the involvement of resection margins in
malignancy. Eg Basal cell carcinoma
– Identifying ganglion cells in Hirschprung disease.
– Enzyme histochemistry (ATPase, NADPH)
– Non-enzyme histochemistry (lipid, carbohydrate)
– For silver and gold impregnation methods
– Identifying type of tissue eg parathyroid.
6. ● Theoretical considerations
– Principle of frozen sections
● When the tissue is frozen, the water in the tissues turns
to ice. The tissue becomes firm in this state.
● The ice acts as the embedding media.
● The consistency of the frozen block can be altered by
altering the temperature of the tissue. Decreasing the
temperature produces harder block while increasing
temperature softens the block.
● Majority of non-fatty unfixed tissue section well at -25 deg
C.
● Sectioning of fixed tissue requires a block at -10 deg C.
7. ● Fixation
– Frozen section requires unfixed tissues.
– Post fixation – for enzyme histochemistry
(controlled conditions)
8. ● Freezing Techniques
– Liquid nitrogen ( -190 deg C)
– Isopentane cooled by liquid nitrogen ( - 150 deg C)
– Dry ice ( -70 deg C)
– Carbon dioxide ( -70 deg C)
– Aerosol sprays ( - 50 deg C)
9.
10. ● Methods for suitable freezing
– Cryostat
● Microtome is inside the chamber
● Microtome is temperature controlled
– Freezing microtome
● Tissue fixed separately
● Microtome is not under temperature control.
11. Cryostat
● The cryostat is a refrigerated cabinet in which a
specialty microtome is housed.
● All the controls to the microtome is operated
outside the cabinet.
● Features
– Electronic temperature control
– Electronically controlled advance and retraction of
the block.
– Specimen orientation facility
12.
13. – Digital visualization of chuck and cabinet
temperature.
– Mechanical cutting speed control and section
thickness
– Automatic defrost mechanism
– Automatic de-contamination and sterilization.
15. ● The best quality frozen sections are produced
from fresh unfixed sections that has been
rapidly frozen.
● Cryostat freezing may produce freezing artifact
because of slower freezing than other
techniques.
● The water in the tissues form ice crystal when
the tissue freezes.
16. ● The size and quality of the crystals is proportional to
the speed at which the tissue is frozen.
● After cutting, the sections are placed on a room
temp slide → thawing of the tissue → produces
freezing artifact appearing as holes in the tissue
when viewed microscopically.
● Method of choice of freezing.
– Isopentane and
– liquid nitrogen (problem : produces vapor bubbles around
the tissue → acts as insulator → prevents rapid cooling.
→ freeze artifact.
17. ● To localize hydrolytic enzymes eg acid and
alkaline phosphatase, and other antigens, the
tissue is fixed prior to freezing and sectioning.
● Method
– Tissue must be fresh
– Place in formal calcium at 4 deg C for 18 hours for
fixation.
– Rinse in running water or Distilled water(if the tissue
is fragile)
18. – Blot dry
– Place tissue in gum sucrose solution for 18 hrs at 4
deg C
– Blot dry
– Freeze tissue onto block holder
19. ● Cryostat sectioning
– Cabinet temperature
● Should be suitable for tissue type and type of preparation
to be cut
● Most unfixed material : -15 deg C to -23 deg C
● Tissue containing large amount of water or fixed tissues
section best at warmer temperature. ( -7 to -12 deg C)
● Tissue containing fat require a colder temperature.
● Shattered sections – block is too cold.
20. ● Microtome
– In case of cutting problems – defrost microtome,
and oil as recommended.
● Blade/knife
– Disposable blades have replaced stainless steel
knives.
– Type of tissue and procedure to be performed
dictate the use of knives.
– Sharpening techniques should be mentioned in
procedure manual.
– Sharp edge is essential for proper section.
21. ● Disposable blades have perfect edge and
instantly available.
● They have an advantage of sharpness, and the
blades are rapidly cooled due to their size.
● Hard or dense tissue may be troublesome for
disposable blades.
22. ● Anti-roll plate
– Piece of equipment attached to the front of
microtome.
– Prevents the upward curling of frozen section
during sectioning.
– Made of plexiglass or hard plastic.
– Aligned parallel to the blade and slightly above it.
23. ● Sectioning technique
– Speed, tissue type, and temperature of the block
and the cabinet is vital in sectioning.
– After cutting, the cut section will rest on the blade
holder.
– Room temperature slide is held above the section.
Electrostatic attraction causes the tissue to adhere
to the slide.
– If staining technique to be used is lengthy, positively
charged slides should be used.
24. ● Coatings
– Gelatin – formladehyde mixture
● Gelatin 1% (5ml)
● Formaldehyde 2% (5ml)
● Coat slides, allow to dry at 37 deg C for 1 hr or overnight
before picking up sections.
– Poly – L – lysin coating (0.01% PLL aqueous)
● Wash slides in detergent – 30 min
● Wash slides in running tap water – 30 min
● Rinse slides in DW two times – 5 min each
25. ● Wash slides in 95% alcohol twice – 5 min each
● Air dry slides – 10 min
● Smear 20 micro liter of PLL over each slide
● Air dry and store dust free
This technique is used as section adhesive in
immunohistochemistry.
26. ● RAPID BIOPSY FOR INTRAOPERATIVE
DIAGNOSIS
– Frozen section is valuable for rapid diagnosis during
surgery.
– Selected tissue is frozen using one of the freezing
techniques.
– Slide is immediately immersed in cold acetone or 95%
alcohol.
– Sections are immediately stained by rapid H&E,
methylene blue, or polychrome stain.
27. ● Ultracryotomy
– Used in research laboratory.
– Rapid freezing of fixed or unfixed tissue using
isopentane or liquid nitrogen.
– Sections cut at 50 -150 nm.
28. ● Freeze drying and freeze substitution.
– Freeze drying is a technique of rapid freezing
(quenching) at -160 deg C and subsequent removal
of water molecules by sublimation in a vacuum at a
higher temperature (-40 deg C).
– The blocks are raised to room temperature and
fixed by vapor.
– Advantages – this technique minimizes :
● Loss of soluble substances.
29. ● Displacement of cell constituents.
● Chemical alteration of reactive groups
● Denaturation of proteins
● Destruction or inactivation of enzymes.