How to Prepare High-Quality Frozen Sections
A Practical Guide for Pathology Technicians Frozen section preparation is one of the fastest and most reliable techniques in histopathology, preserving tissue morphology, antigenicity, and enzymatic activity with remarkable fidelity. Because intraoperative frozen section diagnosis often determines the surgical course in real time, the quality of the section directly affects diagnostic accuracy. Yet producing a consistently excellent frozen section is harder than it looks — tissue type, water content, and freezing temperature can all introduce artifacts if not carefully controlled. Drawing on years of hands-on laboratory experience, this guide summarizes practical, field-tested strategies for producing wrinkle-free, ice-crystal-free frozen sections every time. Why Frozen Section Quality Matters In intraoperative pathology, the surgeon is often waiting on the result before deciding the next step on the operating table. A frozen section marred by ice crystal artifacts,...