title: Prolonged storage of fixative for electron microscopy: effects on tissue preservation for diagnostic specimens.
abstract: Prolonged storage of Karnovsky's fixative, at both 4 and -20 degrees C, is possible in the diagnostic electron microscopy setting. Ultrastructural detail was not compromised in specimens processed in fixative that had been stored for 6 months. Evidence of smooth muscle and neuroendocrine differentiation was present in the form of actin filaments/dense bodies and neurosecretory granules, respectively. No difference in preservation was detected between specimens fixed in freshly prepared Karnovsky's fixative and fixative that had been stored at either 4 or -20 degrees C for up to 6 months. Thus, community hospitals can be provided with Karnovsky's fixative on a semiannual basis for surgical pathology specimens that may require electron microscopy for diagnosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University of Vermont, Burlington 05405, USA.
authors.forename: S L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Mount
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Schwarz
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Taatjes
mesh_terms: D005404:Fixatives / Q000191:economics; D006801:Humans; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000648:ultrastructure; D007421:Intestine, Small / Q000648:ultrastructure; D007889:Leiomyoma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000648:ultrastructure; D008854:Microscopy, Electron / Q000191:economics; D009490:Neurosecretory Systems / Q000648:ultrastructure; D016707:Tissue Fixation / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D005404:Fixatives