agar and Retinitis

The authors developed an agar sandwich technique for retinal biopsy processing. This tissue agar embedding technique allows for a rapid and reliable method to handle and transport retinal biopsies from the operative field to the histology laboratory.. Biopsies from rabbit retinas infected with herpes simplex virus, epiretinal membranes from patients with macular pucker, and retinas from patients with acute retinal necrosis were studied. Each retinal biopsy was fixed, mounted on an agar disc, and covered with liquid agar. Light microscopy, electron microscopy, immunocytochemistry, and polymerase chain reaction were employed on the agar-embedded tissue.. The tissues remained mounted in the agar sandwich and maintained their orientation throughout the processing. The morphologic integrity, histologic characteristics, antigenic properties, and DNA quality all were preserved using the agar sandwich technique.. The agar sandwich technique is an efficient and simple technique for handling small biopsy specimens that require various analyses.

Topics: Agar; Animals; Antigens, Viral; Biopsy; DNA, Viral; Eye Infections, Viral; Herpes Simplex; Herpes Zoster Ophthalmicus; Humans; Immunoenzyme Techniques; Macula Lutea; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Rabbits; Retina; Retinal Necrosis Syndrome, Acute; Retinitis; Simplexvirus; Tissue Embedding

Retinal biopsy may be useful procedure in the diagnosis of certain cases of infectious retinitis complicated by retinal detachment. The small, delicate pieces of retina obtained by retinal biopsy are difficult to handle and prepare for histologic processing. The tissue is friable, may curl upon itself, and is often lost during normal processing. Routine methods for handling small biopsy specimens of other tissues are inadequate for preparing retinal specimens. We developed an agar-albumin tissue mount for the sterile recovery and transport of small pieces of retina from the operative field to the laboratory. The agar-albumin sandwich mount facilitates tissue processing without interfering with histologic sectioning or interpretation. The ability to recover small, friable pieces of retina in a manner that allows good histologic examination is essential if retinal biopsy specimens are to be used in the diagnosis and management of patients with infectious retinitis where the causative agent is unclear.

Topics: Agar; Albumins; Animals; Biopsy; Fixatives; Humans; Rabbits; Retina; Retinal Detachment; Retinitis; Specimen Handling