In Gordon and Sweet's technique, you notice tissue has fallen off the slide. What is the reason?

• A. Silver is a very alkaline solution and tends to cause tissue to fall off the slide
• B. Dehydration too quickly
• C. Poor fixation
• D. Excess staining

Answer: (A)

In Gordon and Sweet’s reticulin stain, the silver step uses an ammoniacal, highly alkaline silver solution. That high pH is essential for silver impregnation, but it also weakens the bond between the tissue and the slide. If the adhesive on the slide isn’t strong enough or the section isn’t firmly affixed, the tissue can lift during the alkaline silver steps and subsequent washes. So tissue falling off the slide is most often due to the alkaline silver solution compromising tissue adhesion. Other issues like dehydration speed, fixation quality, or overstaining can cause other problems, but they don’t specifically explain detachment in this technique.