Histological Techniques for Decalcified Bone and Cartilage

Abstract

Bone tissues are often processed to produce undecalcified sections, or ground sections. These sections range from 50--150 $μ$m in thickness and are used for common histomorphometric studies, yielding poor cellular detail. To better observe the details of cellular components, thinner sections of single-cell thickness (ideally 4--6 $μ$m) are preferred. Several methods are available for making such sections, including plastic-embedded sectioning with a sliding microtome (see Chapter 14) and decalcified paraffin- or celloidin-embedded sectioning with routine rotary microtome or a sliding microtome. Decalcified paraffin-embedded sectioning has been widely used because of its simplicity. It can be performed in most routine histological laboratories without the need for special equipment such as a diamond-coated saw or a grinder.