Table 3
Comparison between Durcupan and paraffin wax processing of bone marrow trephine biopsies
| Durcupan sections | Paraffin wax embedded sections | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mode | Timing (hours) | Cost/case (€) | Mode | Timing | Cost/case (€) | |
| The calculation is based on economical use and bulk processing and the costs relate only to the reagents and consumables. Because PCR is occasional its costs have not been included in the totals. | ||||||
| *Heavy duty knives are used for cutting ∼80 cases before sharpening. | ||||||
| H&E, haematoxylin and eosin; HIER, heat induced epitope retrieval; PCR, polymerase chain reaction | ||||||
| Fixation | 4% buffered formaldehyde | 6–10 h 1st day, or until arrival | ∼1.2 | 4% buffered formaldehyde | 6–10 h 1st day, or until arrival | ∼1.2 |
| Decalcification | 10% EDTA at 60°C (with 4% formaldehyde) | 16–24 h, 1st night | ∼1.2 | 10% EDTA at 60°C (with 4% formaldehyde) | 16–24 h, 1st night | ∼1.2 |
| Processing (dehydration) | Ethanol (IMS) series and acetone | 2 h 2nd day | ∼1 | Ethanol (IMS) series and xylene | 3 h 2nd day | ∼1 |
| Embedding | Durcupan ACM resin (hardening at 60°C) | 16–24 h 2nd night | ∼5 | Paraplast (for infiltration and block making) | 3 h 2nd day | ∼1.8 |
| Cutting and section mounting (1 section for H&E) | Tungsten-carbide knife (on rotary microtome) + activation of adhesion | 0.3 h/block/6 sections 3rd night | ∼6* | Disposable blade (on rotary microtome) + activation of adhesion | 0.2 h/block/6 sections 3rd night | ∼2 |
| Rehydration | Sodium methoxide | 0.5 h 4th day | ∼1 | Xylene/ethanol series | 0.4 h 4th day | ∼2 |
| Immunohistochemistry (5 sections/case) | Standard antibody panel (table 2), HIER-EnVision | 3 h 4th day | ∼10 | Standard antibody panel (table 2), HIER-EnVision | 3 h 4th day | ∼10 |
| PCR technique (excluding DNA isolation) | Standard amplification and detection | 6 h occasionally | (∼10) | Standard amplification and detection | 6 h occasionally | ∼10 |
| Sum total | 25.4 | Sum total | 19.2 | |||
