Volume 13, Issue 1 (Winter & Spring 2016)                   ASJ 2016, 13(1): 19-24 | Back to browse issues page

XML Print

Download citation:
BibTeX | RIS | EndNote | Medlars | ProCite | Reference Manager | RefWorks
Send citation to:
Taghipour M, Asadi M H, Setayesh mehr M, Safikhani Z, Rabiei A A. A New Method of Brain Plastination. ASJ 2016; 13 (1) :19-24
URL: http://anatomyjournal.ir/article-1-132-en.html
A New Method of Brain Plastination
Monir Taghipour1 , Mohammad Hossein Asadi2 , Mohsen Setayesh mehr3 , Zahed Safikhani4 , Abbas Ali Rabiei 3
1- Department of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Najafabad Branch, Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran.
2- Department of Anatomical Sciences, Baghiatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
3- Department of Anatomical Sciences, School of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Science, Isfahan, Iran.
4- Najaf Abad University
Abstract:   (6484 Views)

Introduction: Plastination is a unique technique for preservation of biological specimens used for teaching purposes. The protocol of flexible sheet plastination includes fixation, slicing, dehydration, force impregnation, casting, and curing (Hajian, Rabiei, Fatollahpour & Esfandiary, 2008). The procedure is done by using P87 flexible unsaturated polyester resin and provides heavy, gross, fragile, and bubbling plastinated sheets.
In this study, synthetic resin (P89) in the plastination laboratory at Isfahan Medical School is utilized with a new method for plastination of 3-mm human’s brain slices without casting stage. Also, common plastination method with the use of P87 flexible resin was used and the products were evaluated and compared in the laboratory with new method products. This method is also compared with specimens made by P35 resin sandwich method.
Methods: This study was carried out on 3 human brains. Initially, according to the conventional methods, the brains were fixed in 10% formaldehyde, cut sagitally, coronally, and horizontally into 3-mm thickness slices by meat slicer, and then dehydrated in cold acetone (-25°C) and immersed in P89 unsaturated polyester resin at 25°C. Finally, the specimens were taken out from vacuum chamber and exposed to room temperature. When both surfaces of specimens became dry, they were taken to P89 polyester resin pail again. We repeated this stage 10 times.
Results: P35 specimens had high tensile strength compared to P89 specimens. Also P89 specimens had high bending capability compared to P35 specimens made by sandwich method. Likewise, P89 specimens were lighter compared to P35 specimens. In the naked survey of specimens, P35 specimens with white spot in the tissue indicate discoloration for plastination of brain specimens without casting stage.
Conclusion: Our study showed that P89 technique is a cheap, quick, and less expensive method for producing sheet plastinated specimens which are suitable in teaching neuroanatomy. 

Keywords: Plastination, Brain, Polyester resin
Full-Text [PDF 668 kb]   (4796 Downloads)    
Type of Study: Original |
Received: 2015/03/23 | Accepted: 2015/08/16 | Published: 2016/01/1
References
1. Bennett HS, Wyrick AD, Lee SW, McNeil JH. Science and art in preparing tissues embedded in plastic for light microscopy, with special reference to glycol methacrylate, glass knives and simple stains. Stain Technology. 1976; 51(2):71-97. [DOI:10.3109/10520297609116677] [PMID]
2. Weiglein AH. Preservation and plastination. Clinical Anatomy. 2002; 15(6):445. doi: 10.1002/ca.10038 [DOI:10.1002/ca.10038]
3. Raoof A. Using a room-temperature plastination technique in assessing prenatal changes in the human spinal cord. Journal of the International Society for Plastination. 2001; 16:5-8 .
4. Pashaei S. A brief review on the history, methods and applications of plastination. International Journal of Morphology. 2010; 28(4):1075-079. [DOI:10.4067/S0717-95022010000400014]
5. Von Hagens G, Tiedemann K, Kriz W. The current potential of plastination. Anatomy and Embryology. 1987; 175(4):411-21. [DOI:10.1007/BF00309677] [PMID]
6. Hajian M, Rabiei AA, Fatollahpour A, Esfandiary E. Sheet plastination of human brain. Paper presented at: The 14th International Conference on Plastination; 2008 July 20-26; Heidelberg and Guben, Germany.
7. Rabiei AA, Asadi MH, Esfandiari E, Taghipour M, Bahadoran H, Setayesh M. [Preparation of flexible plastinated sheets of human brain by P87 polyester (Persian)]. Journal of Isfahan Medical School. 2011; 28:1961-966.
8. Weber W, Henry RW. Sheet plastination of the brain - P35 technique, filling method. Journal of the International Society of Plastination. 1992; 6(1):29-33.
9. Barnet R, Burland G, Duxson M. Plastination of coronal slices of brain from cadavers using the p35 technique. Journal of the International Society of Plastination. 2005; 20:16-19.
10. Barnet RJ. Plastination of coronal and horizontal brain slices using the P40 technique. Journal of the International Society of Plastination. 1997; 12(1):33-36.
11. Cannas M, Fuda P. plastination of old formalin- fixed specimens. Journal of the International Society of Plastination. 1991; 5(1):11-15.
12. Rabiei AA. [Fabrication of polymer production of the whole human body with mass plastination method (Persian)] [PhD thesis]. Isfahan: Isfahan University of Medical Science; 2003.
13. Setayesh MM, Esfandiari E, Rabiei AA, Shanaei M, Rashidi B. Comparing two methods of plastination and glycerin preservation to study skeletal system after Alizarin red-Alcian blue double staining. Advances in Biomedical Research. 2013; 2(2):1-4.
14. Rabiei AA, Esfandiary E, Setayesh Mehr M, Shamosi A, Mardani, M, Dashti GR. Decalcified bone plastination by the new UP89 resin. Paper presented at: The 16th International Conference on Plastination; 2012 July 23-27; Beijing, China.
15. Rabiei AA, Esfandiary E, Hajian M, Shamosi A, Mardani M, Rashidi B, et al. Plastination of decalcified bone by a new resin technique. Advances in Biomedical Research. 2014; 3(1):51-55.
16. Weiglein AH. Preparing and using S-10 and P-35 brain slices. Journal of the International Society of Plastination. 1996; 10(1):22-25.
17. O'Sullivan E, Mitchell BS. Plastination for gross anatomy teaching using low cost equipment. Surgical and Radiologic Anatomy. 1995; 17(3):277-81. [DOI:10.1007/BF01795063] [PMID]
18. Weiglein AH. Plastination in the Neurosciences. Acata Anatomica. 1997; 158(1):6-9. [DOI:10.1159/000147902]
Add your comments about this article : Your username or Email:
CAPTCHA
Send email to the article author

Rights and permissions
Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.