Sounds to me like a longitudinal section might be good for your specific
purpose. Cross sections are better for studying the morphology of the cord,
but if scanning the length of the cord is your objective, and you can
sacrifice the specific advantages of cross sections, than that's the way to
go.  It is impractical to section the entire length of the uncut cord.  But
the cord could be cut into three or four lengths, mounted one above the
other in a single block, and sectioned that way. It would be a fairly large
block, but in my lab we frequently section larger ones.  If you do go with
cross sections, many of these could be mounted in a single block (15 should
be no great problem - 3 rows of 5 each). The average clinical lab, trying to
produce hundreds of slides a day on a deadline, may not have the time to
devote to such special projects. But it is certainly doable. My lab, a core
research facility, receives such special requests regularly.

> ----------
> From: 	histonet-bounces@lists.utsouthwestern.edu on behalf of
> Caroline Bass
> Sent: 	Monday, December 12, 2005 2:02 PM
> To: 	Histonet (E-mail)
> Subject: 	[Histonet] rat spinal cord longitudinal sections
> 
> Hi Guys,
> 
> I have a rat that was injected with a virus that produces a  
> fluorescent protein.  I would like to scan the entire spinal cord for  
> the signal and thought the best way to do this was to section the  
> spinal cord along the long axis.  I don't know if I have the  
> terminology right on this.  I think this should be longitudinal  
> sections.  The histologists who is to section the tissue says that  
> this is impractical.  I know that cross sections (coronal?) are more  
> common, but which method is better when we are simply screening for a  
> visible signal?  I am worried that I will have hundreds of cross  
> sections to examine.
> 
> If there is a published example of this anywhere, even a picture on a  
> website I would love to see it.  I have not been able to find  
> anything that is helpful in deciding which route to go.
> 
> Thanks for you help,
> 
> Caroline Bass
> 
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> 

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