Tissue Slicer

• US 20100076473A1
• Filed: 09/25/2009
• Published: 03/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: University of Kansas Medical Center
• Original Assignee: University of Kansas Medical Center
• Inventors: Montgomery, Brooke, Tawfik, Ossama, Jain, Swaran K., Fanous, Maged
• Application Number:
  US12/567,395
• Publication Number:
  US 20100076473A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 606/167
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 1/06 providing a thin slice, e.g. microtome

Abstract

A tissue slicer having a partially open base for permitting the slicing blades to transverse therethrough, a dual pivoting member for activating the sliding blades in a vertical direction, a blade cartridge with a plurality of blades and a multi-pin specimen holder. The device secures the tissue specimen without distortion in place during the slicing process, protect the user while cutting specimens, standardizes tissue sections for optimal processing, improves the quality of sections for microscopic evaluation, and improves diagnostic accuracy and reliability.

Claims

1. A biological tissue slicer system for slicing a biological tissue specimen comprising:

a blade cartridge having a plurality of blades;

a base for positioning a tissue specimen, said base having a plurality of openings for permitting the plurality of blades to extend through the entire thickness of said tissue specimen.

2. The biological tissue slicer system of claim 1 wherein said base comprises a plurality of plates aligned in parallel such that a gap between two of said plurality of plates forms one of said plurality of openings for permitting a blade of said plurality of blades to extend therethrough.

3. The biological tissue slicer system of claim 2 wherein said plurality of plates comprises a plurality of L-shaped plates, each L-shaped plate having a vertical member and a horizontal member, and when said plates are spaced apart in parallel to form said plurality of openings.

4. The biological tissue slicer system of claim 2 wherein said plurality of plates are mounted to a base to maintain the plates in a fixed position, and wherein said base has an upper rail for moving said base and said plurality of plates in a horizontal direction.

5. The biological tissue slicer system of claim 1 further comprising one or more vertical guide rods attached to said base, said vertical guide rods adapted for slidably and removably engaging a multi-pin specimen holder comprising a pin base and a plurality of pins.

6. The biological tissue slicer system of claim 5 and wherein said vertical guide rods are movably engaged to one or more horizontal guide rods attached to said base, said horizontal guide rods being adapted to move the vertical guide rods in a horizontal direction.

7. The biological tissue slicer system of claim 6 wherein said one or more vertical guide rods are slidably engaged with said one or more horizontal guide rods via a U-channel, said U-channel having a top surface fixedly connected to said vertical guide rods, and having two side surfaces slidably engaging said horizontal guide rods.

8. The biological tissue slicer system of claim 7 wherein a rod is fixedly connected to said U-channel for moving said U-channel in a horizontal direction along said horizontal guide rods.

9. The biological tissue slicer system of claim 1 further comprising a multi-pin specimen holder, said multi-pin specimen holder comprising a pin base having a plurality of pins extending therefrom.

10. The biological tissue slicer system of claim 9 wherein said multi-pin specimen holder is removably attached to one or more vertical guide rods.

11. The biological tissue slicer system of claim 9 wherein said pins are arranged in one or more rows of pin, such that the pins in one row are spaced at a different distance than said pins in another row.

12. The biological tissue slicer system of claim 9 wherein said pins comprising said plurality of pins do not all have the same length or diameter.

13. The biological tissue slicer system of claim 1 wherein said base comprises a pivot rod attached to said base, and further comprising a plurality of pins pivotable about a pivot axis defined by said pivot rod.

14. The biological tissue slicer system of claim 13 further comprising at least one secondary pin, and wherein at least one of said plurality of pins has a hole for receiving said secondary pin through said hole.

15. The biological tissue slicer system of claim 1 further comprising a multi-pin specimen holder, one or more vertical guide rods, and one or more horizontal guide rods;

wherein said multi-pin specimen holder comprises a pin base and a plurality of pins for holding a tissue specimen;

wherein said multi-pin specimen holder is slidably engaged with said one or more vertical guide rods connected to said base;

wherein said one or more vertical guide rods are adapted to guide said multi-pin specimen holder in a vertical direction;

wherein said one or more vertical guide rods are slidably engaged with said one or more horizontal guide rods to move said vertical guide rods in a horizontal direction; and

wherein said base comprises a plurality of angled plates, each angled plate having a vertical member and a horizontal member, said plates configured to form said plurality of openings comprised of gaps between said plates.

16. The biological tissue slicer system of claim 15 wherein said blade cartridge having said plurality of blades is driven by a reciprocating driver, wherein said plurality of blades are configured to traverse said plurality of gaps between said plurality of angled plates such that the plurality of blades are capable of extending through and beyond the entire thickness of said tissue specimen.

17. The biological tissue slicer system of claim 1,

wherein said base comprises a plurality of plates aligned in parallel such that a gap between two of said plurality of plates forms one of said plurality of openings for permitting a blade of said plurality of blades to extend therethrough;

wherein said base is slidably engaged to a frame to move said base in a horizontal plane;

wherein said base comprises a pivot rod, and a plurality of pins pivotable about a pivot axis defined by said pivot rod; and

wherein at least one of said plurality of pins has a hole for receiving a secondary pin through said hole.

18. The biological tissue slicer system of claim 1 wherein said base comprises a pin base having a plurality of pins extending therefrom, said pins configured to form plurality of openings for permitting said blades to extend through said entire thickness of said tissue specimen.

19. The biological tissue slicer system of claim 1 wherein said blade cartridge with said plurality of blades is connected to a dual pivoting member, said dual pivoting member being pivotable about a first fixed pivot axis and a second movable pivot axis, and wherein said dual pivoting member is connected to said base.

20. A biological tissue slicer for slicing a biological tissue specimen comprising:

a base for holding said tissue specimen;

a vertical member attached to said base;

a blade cartridge having a plurality of blades for cutting said tissue specimen; and

a dual pivoting member having a first end pivotally and fixedly connected to said vertical member about a first fixed pivot axis, said dual pivoting member having a second end pivotally and movably connected to said blade cartridge about a second movable pivot axis such that said blades are adapted to cut said tissue specimen by moving both vertically and horizontally.

21. The biological tissue slicer of claim 20 where said base comprises a horizontal pin base having a plurality of pins extending therefrom, said pins adapted to receive a biological tissue specimen.

22. The biological tissue slicer of claim 21 wherein said pins are about 0.3 cm to 2 cm long.

23. The biological tissue slicer of claim 21 wherein said plurality of pins is affixed in a pin base configured to be removably inserted into a base plate.

24. The biological tissue slicer of claim 21 wherein said plurality of pins are spaced equidistantly from one another.

25. The biological tissue slicer of claim 20 wherein two vertical members are attached to said base and a transverse horizontal bar extends between said two vertical members, said dual pivoting member being pivotally and fixedly connected to said vertical members via said transverse bar to form said first fixed pivot axis.

26. The biological tissue slicer of claim 25 wherein said dual pivoting member is pivotably and movably connected to said blade cartridge via one or more holding brackets attached to a cartridge plate adapted to receive said blade cartridge.

27. The biological tissue slicer of claim 26 wherein said blade cartridge is removably positioned in said cartridge plate.

28. A biological tissue slicer for slicing a biological tissue specimen comprising:

a base for positioning a tissue specimen;

a plurality of pivoting pins pivotally attached to said base for engaging and holding said specimen on said base.

29. The biological tissue slicer of claim 28 wherein said base has a plurality of openings for permitting a plurality of blades to extend through the entire thickness of said tissue specimen.

30. The biological tissue slicer of claim 28 wherein said plurality of pins have a plurality of corresponding gaps therebetween.

31. The biological tissue slicer of claim 28 further comprising at least one secondary pin, and wherein at least one of said plurality of pins has hole for receiving said secondary pin.

32. The biological tissue slicer of claim 28 wherein said plurality of pins are J-shaped or U-shaped.

33. The biological tissue slicer of claim 28 wherein said base comprises a plurality of plates aligned in parallel such that a gap between two of said plurality of plates forms an opening for permitting a blade to extend therethrough.

34. The biological tissue slicer of claim 28 wherein said base is adjustably engaged to a frame.

35. The biological tissue slicer of claim 34 wherein said base has an upper rail for engaging a lower rail on said frame.