Assembly and fine-tuning of equipment for plastination of organs intended for teaching

Abstract

The technique of plastination of anatomical pieces is an effective method for the conservation of natural materials. The objectives of this work were to achieve the assembly and fine-tuning of an equipment for plastination at room temperature, with accessible instruments and materials, and to optimize the processing techniques to obtain quality preserved anatomical pieces intended for teaching. We worked with 1 cm thick bovine brain sections, fixed with 5% formaldehyde at 5 ° C for periods of no less than 10 days, subsequent dehydration in acetone at -25 ° C, forced impregnation with polyester resin in a slow process, at room temperature, alternating active and passive periods and subsequent curing with exposure to u.v.  The pieces obtained made it possible to clearly differentiate the internal structures of the brain, as well as the grey and white substances. A decrease in the weight and thickness of the samples and darkening were observed after the performance of the technique, but the anatomical details were preserved, making them suitable for teaching macroscopic anatomy.