PLASTINATION, THE IDEAL METHOD TO PRESERVE SURGICAL SPECIMENS IN ORAL PATHOLOGY

Abstract

<h3>Background</h3> Plastination is a procedure created in 1977 by anatomist Gunther von Hagens at the University of Heidelberg in Germany and it aims to preserve biological tissue specimens. This technique is based on the substitution of body fluids (water, lipids) by polymers that allow indefinite material preservation, without damaging its structure and rendering easy manipulation for further study. <h3>Objective</h3> The S-10 plastination technique was applied on 13 surgical specimens obtained from a private oral pathology service. <h3>Methods</h3> The histologic diagnoses for the 13 surgical samples were ameloblastoma, myxoma, and osteomyelitis. These samples were fixed and preserved in 10% formalin. Surgical specimens were dimensionally measured and photographs were taken before and after the S-10 plastination procedure. Processing includes fixation, cleansing, dehydration, impregnation, precuring, and curing. After plastination, 3-dimensional tomography reconstruction was made to compare features before and after S-10 plastination. <h3>Results</h3> The 13 preserved surgical specimens were obtained using the S-10 plastination technique. Cone beam computed tomography was acquired for the 3-dimensional reconstruction and imaging description. Finally, descriptive sheets from each surgical specimen were elaborated. The latter will function as didactic material. <h3>Conclusions</h3> The plastination technique allows the direct handling of surgical specimens without jeopardizing their structure. Another relevant advantage is that the preserved specimens might be used as didactic material to show diverse lesions and to observe their macroscopic features with full detail. Moreover, this technique allows permanent storage of the specimens without using polluting materials.