Small tissues are always difficult to work with. The limited size often leads to many technical problems. In spite of the care normally given to a specimen, the unthinkable can happen. A block may be cut through, slides may be broken, and sections may fall off. When this type of tragedy occurs, the creativity and technical abilities of a histology technician are often tested.

An example of this occurred when a technician was cutting a prostate biopsy. Two slides were taken, with two sections on each. The slides were taken, with two sections on each. The slides were stained with hematoxylin and eosin (H&E), and coverslipped with a Tissue Tek automatic coverslipper. This coverslipper uses a plastic film, which causes the film to adhere to the slide with xylene. The slides were then given to the pathologist who then requested an immunohistochemical (IHC) test to be performed. In the process, the specimen was exhausted.