Pat,

We did alot of gastric biopsies.  We used a modified silver stain for
H-pylori for years also and the pathologists than insisted this was the
only way to fly. We changed to a Giemsa type stain when we had a change of
pathologists during the renowned Allegheny Health System takeover.

In all honestly, we found the Giemsa stain was just as reliable.  As a
matter of fact, for the amount of slides we had to stain for H-pylori (
which was increasing by the minute) it really was a time saver.

 We used the methylene blue/azure solution only that came with one of the
three part quick Giemsa Stains such as Hemacolor for three minutes, dipped
the slides in running water to decolorize, dehydrated, cleared and mounted.
H-pylori was very easy to spot.  Try it you may change your mind and you
may get the Doc's to also.


Rande Kline HT (ASCP)





Pat Kokoszka <koza@vgh.org> on 07/23/99 01:48:26 PM

To:   "'histonet@pathology.swmed.edu'" <histonet@Pathology.swmed.edu>
cc:
Subject:  warthin-starry on frozen slides




I haven't tried the warthin-starry on frozen slides, but I use the Steiner
method distributed by Sigma as the "modified silver stain".  Personally I
think this is the best stain out there for helicobacter and the
Pathologists that I work for would not allow me to use anything else.  Most
everyone I know uses the Wright stain for helicobacter and I really don't
see how they get by with that.  I work in a small hospital, but we do a
very large amount of gastric biopsies which are all required to be stained
for helicobacter and we get a lot of positive results that I feel would be
missed using the Wright stain.

If anyone has any comments on this stain, I would love to hear them.

Thanks,
   Gwendolyn