P40 Plastination of Human Brain Slices: Comparison between Different Immersion and Impregnation Conditions

One human brain was used for this study. The brain was fixed in 5% formalin for two months, rinced and cut in two halves on the sagital plane. Both brain halves were sagitally sliced at a tickness of 4 mm. From each brain half we selected 8 slices and plastinated them with P40 using different immersion and impregnation conditions. Two points were marked on each slice and subsequently an imprint of the slices was drawn on transparency film. After dehydration in -25°C acetone, the slices of the left brain half were immersed at -25°C, for two days in P40 and then impregnated for 24 hours. The slices of the right brain half were immersed at +5°C for two days and impregnated at room temperature at+15°C for 24 hours. All impregnated slices were cured with UV light. The imprints of the fixed brain slices were scanned into a computer, as well as the plastinated slices. By using a Kontron KSA 400 v. 2.0 (ZEISS) software we calculated the area of the plastinated brain slices as well as the area of the scanned imprints. By comparing the obtained data we were able to determine the shrinkage rate of the slices. The slices processed at -25°C showed a shrinkage rate of 4.41%. In comparison the slices immersed at +5°C and impregnated at +15°C showed a shrinkage rate of 6.96%.