Definition of Microscopic Assessment

A microscope is a necessary tool in the field of medicine to properly evaluate and diagnose disease. Through a microscope, assessments of tissue health and composition can be made on a cellular level. These assessments can be crucial in determining the state of illness or recovery of a patient. Microscopic assessment can also be helpful in determining parasite infestation.

Microscopes

• The optical microscope is commonly used in the medical field. Lenses of different magnifying capability are attached to a stand which holds the sample. This type of microscope often has multiple options of magnification, as many are necessary to properly evaluate a sample. An electron microscope is used to evaluate the atomic composition of a substance. It is often used in determining toxins present in the body.

Observation

• A microscope is capable of viewing samples under significantly magnified power. This allows cell structure, tissue structure and the presence of parasites too small for the naked eye to see to be evaluated. Often, medical conditions can be clearly diagnosed once the cells are viewed with a microscope. Different stains and sample preparation are done to allow different structures to be clearly viewed. For example, a gram stain is done to determine the type of bacteria present.

Cancer

• Microscopic evaluation is required to properly confirm a cancer diagnosis. A biopsy or tissue sample is taken from the suspect area and a slide is prepared. The types and number of cells seen will indicate what type of cancer is present and what stage it is in. Similarly, to evaluate if the cancer is truly in remission, tissue samples will periodically be reevaluated with a microscope to check for the presence of cancer cells.

Parasites

• Parasites in the body are often too small to be seen but can still cause significant damage. To determine their presence, samples can be taken from different tissues. The parasites themselves may not be seen but their trail of damage is often visible, such as holes in tissue or damaged cells. The type of damage to the tissue will often indicate the type of parasites present.

Who Makes the Assessment

• There are thousands of different tissue types in the human body alone. Add to that number different types of cancer and other malformations and the ability to properly identify what is normal from not normal becomes a very complicated job. This job should only be done by a licensed pathologist.