Quality of corrosion specimens prepared from material obtained during autopsies - a preliminary study.

AIM: Aim of this study was to assess the quality of the corrosion specimens obtained during autopsies of human body for scanning electron microscopy procedures.

MATERIALS AND METHOD: Ninety seven uteri were obtained upon autopsy of women aged 25-56 years, deceased due to causes not related to disorders of the reproductive system. Fourty three of them contained large subserosal uterine leiomyomata. twenty uteri were injected with acrylic emulsion Liquitex R via the arteries or veins. Five of these uteri were next dissected and cut into slides on a microtom. the remaining uteri were injected with 60-80 ml of mercox CL-2r resin, next macerated and studied under scanning electron microscope (JEOL SEM 35-CF scanning electron microscope at 20-25 kV).

RESULTS: Best human specimens were obtained from the autopsies carried out possibly early after the deceased, young aged (between 25 and 45) and died because of multitrauma not associated with the pelvic injury.

CONCLUSIONS: Specimens obtained from autopsies can be used for scanning electron microscopy however under several conditions, specially the time between death and undertaking the injection procedures and the age of the individual, because of the process of artherosclerosis.