Working experience with a new vacuum-accelerated microwave histoprocessor.

Methods of microwave and vacuum-accelerated fixation, dehydration, and paraffin embedding are described, using a new type of vacuum and temperature stabilizable microwave histoprocessor: MFX-800. The whole histoprocessing cycle lasts 3.5-5.5 h, depending on the thickness of the tissue blocks. Well-preserved structural detail, intense staining, and good antigen preservation were achieved with various tissues. This new histoprocessing facility is recommended for routine pathology laboratories in speeding up their processing procedures.