Under dehydration leads to which tissue artifact?

• A. Mushy sections
• B. Cracked sections
• C. Bubbled sections
• D. Discolored sections

Answer: (A)

When dehydration is incomplete, water remains in the tissue. That residual moisture prevents proper infiltration of the embedding medium, so the tissue doesn’t stiffen enough to support clean sectioning. The result is soft, rubbery, and mushy sections as you cut them. Ensuring complete dehydration with an appropriate graded alcohol series and sufficient time in each step helps the tissue be properly embedded and cut as firm, well-ribboned sections.