A rapid technique for the histological examination of large ovarian follicles.

A rapid technique for counting and classifying large ovarian follicles of domestic animals is described. Using a cryostat, 250-micrograms thick sections were cut from the frozen ovary; an image of the surface of each ovarian section was recorded on videotape. By replaying the videotape, the largest profile of each follicle larger than 1 mm in diameter was readily identified and measured. The presence or absence of atresia was determined by applying standard histological methods to fragments of individual follicles taken from the frozen sections. The results obtained are similar to those found using previous methods and demand only one-quarter of the time.