Decalcification

This bone forms the shafts of long bones and the bones of the skull

• Cancellous bone

• Spongy bone

• Cortical bone

• Trabecular bone

Staining techniques required are often considered when:

• Choosing an appropriate decalcifier

• Determining the end point of decalcification

• The age of a patient is not known

• Decalcifying cortical bone

Overdecalcification results in:

• Loss of fixative

• Reduced cytoplasmic staining

• Dried out tissue

• Decreased nuclear basophilia

Prior to placing specimens in the decalcifier, the tissue must undergo:

• Water rinse

• Fixation

• Rapid stain

• Paraffin embedding

To mechanically determine the decalcification end point, the grosser would:

• Arrange for radiography

• Complete the calcium oxalate test

• Pierce the specimen

• Time the decalcification process

An example of cancellous bone is:

• Femur

• Bone marrow

• Rib

• Small bones of the fingers

The ideal decalcifier for the bones of this skeleton is:

• Nitric Acid

• Hydrochloric Acid

• Formic acid

• Picric Acid

Using heat to decalcify tissue will result in:

• Ideal preservation of nuclei

• Rapid loss of calcium salts resulting in maceration of other tissue components

• Accelerated decalcification with minimal damage

• Embedding difficulties

Chemical methods are the most accurate for determining the endpoint of decalcification.

• True

• False

Enzymes are best preserved with:

• Formic Acid

• High pH decalcifiers

• Nitric Acid

• EDTA