Synonym
Microscopic Anatomy
Definition – What is histology actually?
The word histology is composed of the word “histos”, which means “tissue” in Greek and the Latin word “logos” for “doctrine”. In histology, i.e. “tissue science”, people use technical aids such as a light microscope in everyday life in order to recognize the structure of various structures. Furthermore, in microscopic anatomy there is a division of organs into smaller and smaller components:
- Histology – The study of tissues is an important part of medicine and biology, respectively anatomy or pathology.
- Cytology – Cytology deals with the functional composition of cells.
- Molecular biology – Cells are in turn made up of many small molecules (particles).
Why is histology needed in everyday medical biology?
Its main tasks are the early diagnosis of bulges (tumors) and whether they are benign or malignant, as well as the detection of metabolic, bacterial, inflammatory or parasitic diseases. In addition, tissue science contributes to therapy decisions and has many other tasks in the clinic and in everyday research.
How does the whole thing work now?
The pathologist receives a tissue sample, for example by sample excision from stomach, intestine, liver, etc. or a piece of “tumor” that was surgically removed from an organ and makes micrometer-thin incisions. These are stained and can be examined with a light microscope or additionally with an electron microscope. The latter is very high resolution and is mainly used in research.
Histotechnology
Histotechnology deals with the precise processing of the tissue before it can even be examined. In the laboratory, the medical technical assistant (MTA) is usually responsible for this. This includes: the fixation of the tissue, which serves to stabilize it; the macroscopic (performed with the eye) viewing of the tissue, as well as its cutting, which is performed by a physician; the drainage and impregnation of the tissue in liquid kerosene; the blocking of the tissue sample in kerosene; the cutting of 2 – 5 μm thick sections as well as the attachment to the glass slide and finally the staining of the sections. The routine method in the histotechnique is the preparation of an FFBE preparation, i.e. a kerosene embedded tissue fixed in formalin, which is then stained in hematoxylin-eosin. This process takes about one to two days from sampling to the result of the analysis (findings).
