How does improper dehydration affect tissue processing?
Dehydration is a critical step that involves replacing water in the tissue with ethanol. Improper dehydration, either incomplete or excessive, can lead to poor infiltration and embedding. Incomplete dehydration can cause the tissue to remain soft and poorly supported, resulting in artifacts during sectioning. Excessive dehydration, however, can make the tissue too hard, leading to difficulties in cutting thin sections.
