Development of a multi-tissue quality control material for special staining and its application in clinical pathological diagnosis
WANG Min
GONG Yu
MIAO Chen
ZHANG Weiming
Abstract：Objective As the 'gold standard' for pathological diagnosis, hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining has low specificity and requires special staining techniques to identify specific components. However, special staining techniques are complex and prone to interference, necessitating external quality control materials to ensure staining quality. This study aimed to develop a positive external quality control material suitable for multiple special stains based on multi-tissue wax block embedding technology, and to evaluate its homogeneity and stability. Methods Tissue samples from lesion, infectious, and normal categories were selected. Multi-tissue wax blocks were prepared through precise positioning, standardized embedding, and sectioning. Eight special staining methods, including periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) staining and elastic fiber staining (Victoria blue method), were used to verify the performance of the quality control material. Results The quality control material showed good staining uniformity, with a readout consistency of 97.3% (Kappa value ≥ 0.90), and the sampled positivity rate (96.7%) was highly consistent with the overall positivity rate (95%). The quality control material remained stable for one year when stored at 4°C in the dark. Conclusion This self-made quality control material, designed for 'multi-use from one item,' covers various staining needs, significantly reducing costs and improving the reproducibility of staining. Its application can standardize special staining procedures, optimize the accuracy of pathological diagnosis, and provide reliable support for inter-laboratory result comparisons and clinical diagnosis.
Keywords：Special StainingQuality Control MaterialMulti-Tissue Wax BlockQuality Control
Publication Date：2025-08-28
Online Publishing Date：2025-09-18(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：4( 1048-1051 )