Cryosectioning
Pronunciation: cry-oh-SEK-shun-ing
The cutting of fresh or snap-frozen tissue into thin sections using a cryostat, typically for rapid intraoperative diagnosis or the preservation of labile antigens.
Full Definition
Cryosectioning is performed inside a cryostat—a refrigerated microtome cabinet maintained at approximately −20 °C—allowing fresh, unfixed tissue to be sectioned without prior paraffin embedding. It is used for intraoperative frozen section consultations, in which a rapid diagnosis is needed to guide surgical decisions, and for research applications requiring preservation of RNA, enzyme activity, or certain antigens that are destroyed by formalin fixation. Section quality is generally inferior to paraffin sections, a limitation that editors may encounter in comparative methodology discussions. The term should not be hyphenated and is distinct from 'cryopreservation.'
Usage
Usage note: Do not hyphenate 'cryosectioning.' Distinguish from 'cryopreservation,' which refers to long-term freezing for storage, not for sectioning.
In Context
- "Cryosectioning of the sentinel lymph node was performed intraoperatively, and the result was communicated to the surgical team within ten minutes." — Intraoperative pathology consultation report
- "For RNA integrity studies, cryosectioning is preferred over paraffin-based methods to avoid nucleic acid degradation." — Research laboratory protocol