FROM MANUAL TRIMMING TO STANDARDIZED BLOCK PREPARATION: EVALUATION OF A NOVEL WAX-TRIMMING DEVICE IN HISTOPATHOLOGY

Abstract

Background: Preparation of high-quality paraffin sections depends on a well-formed block face before microtomy. Conventional manual trimming removes excess paraffin but is operator dependent and may produce uneven block margins, repeated trimming, prolonged handling and delay in routine laboratory workflow.

 Objective: To design and evaluate an innovative manual wax trimmer for paraffin-embedded tissue blocks and compare its performance with conventional manual trimming.

 Materials and methods: This prospective comparative experimental study included 60 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue blocks from large surgically resected specimens. Thirty blocks were trimmed by the conventional manual method and 30 by the innovative wax trimmer. Parameters assessed included trimming attempts, trimming time, uniformity of wax removal, block-face quality, ease of use, tissue loss, block damage, re-trimming requirement and microtomy suitability.

Results: The innovative trimmer reduced mean trimming time from 56.33 +/- 8.29 seconds to 37.33 +/- 7.04 seconds and completed trimming in a single attempt in all cases. Uniformity and block-face quality improved from fair in the manual group to good in the device group. Microtomy suitability was excellent in 29/30 (96.7%) blocks trimmed using the device, whereas all manually trimmed blocks were satisfactory. No tissue loss or block damage was observed.

Conclusion: The innovative wax trimmer is a simple, reproducible and user-friendly device that standardizes wax removal, reduces time and improves block preparation before microtomy.