Rafiqul Islam, Nasrin Sultana,

Preserving biological samples is challenging due to the natural process of tissue decomposition. Therefore, various preservation techniques, such as chemical preservation, cryopreservation, cryodehydration, and plastination are used to preserve different types of tissue samples. However, the existing methods are often expensive and may pose health risks, making them less practical for widespread use. Objectives: Therefore, this study aimed to preserve visceral and musculoskeletal canine specimens by utilizing an epoxy resin immersion method and minimize animal sacrifice for anatomy education and training. Method: Fresh visceral and musculoskeletal specimens (forelimb) were obtained from a female dog, and fixed using 10% formalin, followed by dehydration in ethanol and acetone and finally, immersing in epoxy resin. Results: The epoxy resin-immersed specimens maintained their near-natural morphology while being hard, dry, odorless, lightweight, and durable at room temperature. While visceral organs like the liver, heart, and lungs appeared darker due to pigment formation during fixation, the musculoskeletal specimens retained their normal color and texture. The study found no significant histoarchitectural changes in the heart, where all muscle layers remained identifiable, though cardiac myofibers were less distinguishable from one another. In skeletal muscle, there were no notable alterations except for increased space between muscle bundles and myofibers. The spleen showed some loss of histoarchitectural details due to decreased cellular integrity, but the red and white pulp zones were still distinguishable. Additionally, there was localized loss of lymphocytes in certain areas in the lymph node. Overall, cytoplasmic and nuclear clarity was well preserved across the tissues examined. Conclusion: It can be concluded that the epoxy resin immersion technique can effectively preserve whole anatomical specimens for gross anatomical study while some histoarchitectural details might be lost, limiting its use for histological study.

Dóra Demkó#, Boglárka Tamás#, Kálmán Rácz, Péter Szücs, Tamás Juhász,

This study presents the dissection of a lower limb from a deceased individual who underwent reconstructive surgery due to a right tibial fracture affecting both the medial and lateral condyles of the proximal epiphysis (plateau fracture). The fracture was corrected using an open reduction internal fixation (ORIF) procedure, where stainless steel plates and screws were implanted. During the dissection in the area distal to the region affected by the surgery, inappropriate fixation was identified, which resulted in fragile structures that were challenging to dissect and preserve. The dissection was carried out using basic anatomical dissection instruments and the entire process has been documented with photographs in a step-by-step manner. The exposure of the surgical area involved removing the connective tissue covering the implanted hardware, revealing their positioning. Challenges arose in preserving structures located in the insufficiently fixed area, as their fragility limited complete visibility. Following the dissection, the specimen was plastinated and preserved for future educational purposes. Despite these difficulties, the meticulous dissection and subsequent plastination of the limb yielded a durable specimen that serves educational purposes. This specimen allows demonstration of pathological changes in the tissue, provides a learning experience for surgeons and contributes to a deeper understanding of the healing process that takes place in the postoperative period after traumatological or orthopaedic interventions.