All submissions must be accompanied by a request form. Required items are marked with asterisks.

It is a good idea to list the samples submitted, especially if they are trimmed and in cassettes, so we'll know if there is a missing cassette or tissue. If there isn't enough space on the form, just continue on another copy or attach a list.

Please include any special instructions!

When tissues are submitted without instructions other than the stain(s) requested, the tissues will be processed, embedded, and sectioned according to standard procedures.

Trimmed tissues in cassettes are embedded "down face up," that is, the samples are embedded so that the side facing the bottom of the cassette will be placed at the surface to be cut, and will thus be sectioned first. Standard embedding of skin and hollow organs is perpendicular to the plane of sectioning. Thus, the histotechs need to know if you need the tissue oriented in a particular way in the block, and, if you're submitting untrimmed tissues, how you want them trimmed.

If you're interested in a very small area of the tissue, and you've trimmed the tissue so that the area is right at the surface, it may be lost when the block is "faced." (The first few sections will often not include the entire area of the tissue and will be discarded.) In such cases it is very important that you discuss your needs with the histotech beforehand.

If you have special requirements, it's a good idea to send a copy of your protocol each time you submit tissues. We try to keep them on file, but sometimes months or longer go by since the last similar request, and some investigators have several different protocols, so it's not always possible to be sure we have the right one in hand.