A ribbon of sections coming off a microtome should come off straight. Sometimes the ribbon is curved to one side.
Possible problems with the knife that can explain a curved ribbon while sectioning tissue on a microtome:
(1) The blade edge is dull.
(2) The blade may be set at an angle.
Possible problems with the paraffin in the block that can explain curved ribbon while sectioning tissue on a microtome:
(1) The edges of the paraffin block that should be parallel to the knife edge are not.
(2) There is too much paraffin in the block.
Possible problems with the tissue that can explain a curved ribbon while sectioning tissue on a microtome:
(1) The material being sectioned varies in consistency.
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Specialty: Clinical Laboratory
