Coverslipping for high-quality immunohistochemistry: an automated experience

The pathology laboratory at the Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Trust provides vital processing of patient specimens, including dedicated Immunohistochemistry (IHC) testing, which is essential for cancer diagnostics and subsequent treatment. An important element of the process is coverslipping of the stained slides, as the IHC slide labels combined with the solvent-rich atmosphere can present challenges for coverslipping units. So, Bath’s choice of automated coverslipper? Thermo Scientific ClearVue.

Royal United Hospitals Bath (RUH Bath) became an NHS Trust in 1992 and serves a combined population of around 500,000. Covering a catchment area around Bath, from western Wiltshire to north-east Somerset, as well as GP surgeries and two private hospitals, the pathology department provides vital processing of patient specimens. Its mission is to deliver the highest-quality hospital care as assessed by patient safety and clinical outcomes.

A key aspect of that service is in-house IHC for the detection of specific antigens in tissue cells (eg oestrogen receptor [ER] and progesterone receptor [PR] in breast tumour specimens). It is also used for determination of stage/grade of tumours, identification of cell types and the origin of metastases to locate primary tumour locations. Thus, it is vital that the IHC processes are robust and accurate, and an important aspect of that is coverslipping of the stained slides ready for examination by the histopathologist.