Specimen Preparation for Thin-Section Electron Microscopy Utilizing Microwave-Assisted Rapid Processing in a Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory

Although transmission electron microscopy (TEM) has always been recognized as an useful tool in research laboratories for studying ultra-structure, it has had limited practical use in the diagnostic lab environment because of the technical expense and time necessary to prepare tissues for ultrastructural examination. Reduction of these two factors would enhance practical usefulness of TEM in the hospital/diagnostic environment. With the advent of microwave (MW) processing (Demaree, Giberson, and Smith 1995 ; Giberson and Demaree, 1995 ; Giberson, Smith, and Demaree, 1995 ; Giberson, Demaree, and Nordhausen, 1997 ), these obstacles of technician expense and time have, in fact, been significantly reduced.