Piston-based specimen holder for rapid surgical and biopsy specimen imaging.

Advanced fluorescence imaging modalities such as confocal microscopy and two photon fluorescence microscopy can provide rapid, real-time histology images, but the mounting of fresh tissue specimens in standard orientations required for diagnosis without embedding and sectioning remains an unsolved problem. Here, we introduce a piston-based specimen holder designed for consistent, even pressure distribution. We improve upon previous designs by incorporating an air piston system with a flexible membrane and wick that extracts fluid during compression.