Basic Histopathology

At the end of this course, students should be able to: 1. discuss basic concepts of common fixing agents; 2. describe the uses of fixing agents in Histopathology laboratory; 3. explain basic histology of organs; 4. describe tissue sectioning procedures; and 5. conduct slide preparation and slides examination to illustrate normal and abnormal features.

Introduction to Histopathology. Fixation – Autolysis, bacterial decomposition. Effects of fixation, common fixing agents and their uses. Secondary fixation, post-fixation and post-chroming and post-mordanting. Fixation pigments, Decalcification – Aims and applications, decalcifying agents. Tests for clearing of decalcification. Dehydration, clearing and infiltration/embedding. Frozen and celloidin sections. Embedding media. Basic histology of organs. Principles and application of Exfoliate Cytology. Collection and fixation of specimens for cytological examination. Museum technique-colour restoration. Mounting in museum jars. Tissues and cellular injury inflammation. Healing and repairs. Gross appearance of diseased organs in routine post-mortem examination. Slide sections to illustrate common tumours.