Figure 11.

Combined techniques. (A) PTMA of an external TMA laboratory constructed with the Kononen technique. (B) Large gap between the PTCB and the surrounding paraffin of the recipient block. (C) Section of this PTMA with perfect (asterisk) and rolled PTCBs (arrows) if the paraffin tape transfer system of Instrumedics, Inc., is not used. (D) Predrilled paraffin recipient block filled with 100 PTCBs 0.43 mm in diameter. (E) The PTMA is fixed to the clamp of a rotary microtome and cut to get a smooth surface. A double sided adhesive tape with a brown protective sheet is attached to the surface of the PTMA to get into contact with the PTCBs. (F) The PTMA with the white double sided adhesive tape after removal of the protection sheet. (G) An x-ray film is attached to the double-sided adhesive tape to stabilize the tape at melting. (H) The PTMA-adhesive tape-x-ray film-sandwich is melted in a standard steel embedding mold (note: Do not heat over 65 °C, in order not to shrink the adhesive tape.). (I) Melted PTMA with the PTCBs standing upright and in position due to the adhesive tape. Of course, if a hole is filled with more than one PTCB, the PTCB without contact to the tape will topple down (arrow). (J) After resolidification the double-sided adhesive tape-x-ray-film-sandwich is removed from the surface of the PTMA demonstrating the strong adhesion of the PTCBs to the glue of the adhesive tape. Note the toppled down PTCB (arrow) (K) After resolidification the PTCB displays a strong contact to the surrounding paraffin. (L) Black x-ray film (x) with two strips of the white double sided adhesive tape (t) and an agar stabilization body (a) cast into a standard paraffin block and filled with some PTCBs. (M) After fixing the x-ray film-tape-sandwich to the surface of the agar stabilization body (paraffinized agar binds to the tape) this sandwich is melted in a standard steel embedding mold. The PTCBs are held in position by the stabilization body and not by the adhesive tape. This very small gap between the x-ray film and the stabilization body facilitates the flow of the liquid paraffin into the gaps between the PTCBs and the agar stabilization body. This small gap is ensured by the tape and the x-ray film. Without the x-ray film-tape-sandwich the short and/or small PTCBs may fall out of the holes of the stabilization body at melting. (N) After resolidification the gap (arrow) between the PTCBs and the agar stabilization body (a) is perfectly filled with paraffin; this secures a very low number of rolled PTCBs at sectioning. (O) Predrilled agar stabilization body cast into a paraffin block with a bottomless plastic cassette (Tissue-Tek Paraform Sectionable Cassette System, Sakura, Tokyo, Japan) (Look from above). The surface of the agar stabilization body is fixed to a x-ray film-double sided adhesive tape-sandwich. (P) A paraffinized breast needle biopsy specimen (PNBS), which was punched out of the donor block, melted to remove the adhering paraffin surplus and resolidifed at the tip of a small needle. This PNBS can now be installed into the hole of a stabilization body. (Q) Agar stabilization body filled with PNBSs after melting, resolidification and removal of the x-ray film-tape-sandwich. (R) Higher magnification of the surface of the PTMA (Q) demonstrates a perfect contact between the PNBSs and the agar stabilization body. (S) A Hematoxlin-Eosin stained section of the PTMA filled with PNBSs.