Which technique is shown in the image?

• A. Verhoeff-van Gieson
• B. Gomori
• C. Masson
• D. Papanicolaou

Answer: (A)

This image is demonstrating a stain that is designed to reveal elastic fibers in tissue, giving a distinctive contrast where elastic fibers appear black against a pink to red collagen background. In this technique, Verhoeff’s hematoxylin stains elastic fibers very dark (black), and the Van Gieson counterstain colors collagen pink/red while other tissue elements take on a yellowish hue. The resulting pattern—black, threadlike elastic fibers standing out within pink/red connective tissue—is characteristic and easily distinguished from other stains. For comparison, a Gomori or Masson trintrace would color muscle and collagen in different sets of colors (green/red/blue), and a papanicolaou stain is used for cytology, showing cells rather than tissue architecture. Therefore, the shown technique is Verhoeff-van Gieson.