Histological examination: what is it?

Histological examination is a morphological study of tissues and organs. It involves a biopsy and an evaluation of the material obtained during surgery.

This study is conducted for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. It is an important technique for detecting cancer, as well as a way to determine the effectiveness of the treatment.

To conduct a histological examination, take a material intake and prepare it in a certain way for study. After that, careful microscopy is used, as well as a qualitative and quantitative evaluation of the images obtained.

The main object of analysis are histological preparations prepared from fixed structures. These include swabs, prints, films of fabrics, as well as their thin sections.

For the preparation of histological preparations take the necessary material, fix it, compact, prepare slices, color them or carry out contrasting. These stages undergo preparations that are studied with the help of electron microscopy. If the histological examination is carried out with a light orthoscope, then the resulting sections must be enclosed in a balm or other transparent medium.

Various types of microscopes are used to consider these preparations : light, transmission, scanning, electronic, ultraviolet and luminescent, and also phase-contrast. The latter allow us to consider contrasting images of transparent objects that can not be seen with ordinary microscopy.

It should be noted that when histological examination is shown, the material can be taken under visual control (in case of skin biopsy or visible mucous membranes), and also by special methods (internal biopsy). Thus, tissues for examination can be taken with the help of a puncture needle, by aspiration, trepanation of the bone.

There is also the concept of sight biopsy, when the tissues for examination are taken under visual control when using special optical instruments or using ultrasound.

It is worth noting that in order for the histological study to yield true results, the resulting material should be immediately delivered to the laboratory. If it is impossible to do this, the biopsy must be fixed with 10% formalin solution or 70% ethyl alcohol. If it is necessary to carry out a pathomorphological examination, then before the fixation of the material one must make smears for cytology.

A pathologist who conducts research first gives a macroscopic description of the material (indicates its size, color and consistency), and then applies appropriate techniques to make histological preparations. After that, he discovers microscopic changes, conducts clinical and anatomical analysis and draws conclusions.

In what cases are the histological examination methods used?

Most often they are used to identify atypical cells and confirm cancer. Thus, a histological study of the cervix can detect a malignant tumor process in almost 95% of cases.

The analysis of histological preparations is also used in studies of moles, stomach polyps, various biomaterials. Histological examination of the fetus, which is prescribed for suspected hereditary pathologies, may also be used.