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Preservation of Biopsy Material

For Biopsy material from tissues or tumours

- preservative is formalin = formaldehyde

Formalin is available as a 40 % solution

take one part of formalin

dilute it into 10 parts by adding 9 parts of water

say 1 ml of 40 % formalin is diluted by 9 ml of water which will lead to 4 % formalin ( 4 % or 5 % formalin can be used.

For material obtained by fine needle aspiration : fixation spray is available : e.g. Biofix spray (microanatomy fixative) : it contains xylol or after air drying the material on the slides spirit can be poured and allowed to evaporate and then packed in paper and sent

When large tumours are excised and have to be sent for Hisopathological examination the tumour should be cut into many large pieces by surgical blade and then immersed in formalin so that the cells in the deepest part of the tumour also gets the formalin, and gets preserved.