Dissecting microscopic (DM) and light microscopic (LM) study of the intestinal mucosa of Bangladeshi population.

A total of 67 specimens of proximal intestinal mucosa, one from each subject, were examined under dissecting microscopy (DM) and light microscopy (LM). Majority of the subjects were adults and males. The overall per-oral biopsy failure was 13. DM was found to be useful to demonstrate gross villous atrophy. It also helped to orientate the specimens properly before fixation for embedding and sectioning. DM and LM findings did not concord in 17% of the specimens. In all of these specimens the mucosal surface which appeared normal under DM revealed grade-2 change under LM. The present study showed that dissecting microscopy (DM) of the intestinal mucosa is not an alternative for histologic examination under LM. However, scanner of light microscope (SLM) can be used as an alternative for DM.