Sharon,

The way you are sectioning them is the standard way.  Because of the natural
curvature of a mouse spleen, sectioning them parallel to the long axis and
parallel to the second longest dimension often makes it impossible to get
the full length of the spleen in one section, and it also creates low angle
tangential sections of the capsule at one or both ends. Sections
perpendicular to the long axis are distortion free, but of course represent
only one point along the length of the spleen. The way you are cutting them,
parellel to the long axis and perpendicular to the second longest dimension,
gives a full representation of the entire length of the spleen, with
perpendicular sections of the capsule all the way around. It's definitely
the preferred way.

> ----------
> From: 	histonet-bounces@lists.utsouthwestern.edu on behalf of
> Sharon Cooperman
> Sent: 	Thursday, October 13, 2005 1:05 PM
> To: 	histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu
> Subject: 	[Histonet] spleen sectioning
>
> Dear Histonetites,
>
> I have been asked to prepare some FFPE spleens that are cut "along
> the long axis".  (Apparently the standard cut for
> hematologists/pathologists to use?)   The way a spleen looks to me,
> there are three possible planes to cut it in;  one perpendicular to
> the longest dimension and two parallel to the longest dimension.  Of
> the the two planes parallel to the longest dimension, one would be
> parallel to the second longest dimension and one would be
> perpendicular to the second longest dimension.  I've been cutting my
> spleens parallel to the longest dimension and perpendicular to the
> second longest dimension, because that's where I seem to get the most
> information, and it also looks like what I see in my hematopathology
> textbook.  Is that correct?  I know there's probably a standard way
> to do it that everybody knows but I'm not a histologist, pathologist
> or hematologist and I'm pretty uninformed about the standard clinical
> ways to do spleens.  I would appreciate any advice, references, etc.
> Thanks in advance!
>
> Sharon
> --
> Sharon Cooperman        	     
> NIH, NICHD, CBMB                     301.435-8417
> Building 18T, room 101               301.402-0078 fax
> Bethesda, MD 20892
>
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