Corrosion casting in anatomy: Visualizing the architecture of hollow structures and surface details

Abstract

Corrosion casting is the technique by which a solid, negative replica is created from a hollow anatomical structure and liberated from its surrounding tissues. For centuries, different types of hardening substances have been developed to create such casts, but nowadays, thermosetting polymers are mostly used as casting medium. Although the principle and initial set‐up are relatively easy, producing high‐quality casts that serve their intended purpose can be quite challenging. This paper evaluates some of the more popular casting resins that are currently available and provides a step‐by‐step overview of the corrosion casting procedure, including surface casts of anatomical structures. Hurdles and pitfalls are discussed, along with possible solutions to circumvent them, based on personal experience by the authors.

Corrosion casting of the cardiovascular structure in adult zebrafish for analysis by scanning electron microscopy and X‐ray microtomography

“…In vessels, a resin is required with a very low viscosity and a minimal amount of shrinkage during polymerisation. We have adapted the use of the Mercox II resin, which answers to both criteria (Cornillie et al, 2019;Haenssgen, Makanya, & Djonov, 2014) for reproducible preparation of smaller volumes using a different, liquid catalyst.…”

“…Vascular corrosion casting has long been an established method to visualise the vascular tree in vertebrates (Cornillie, Casteleyn, Von Horst, & Henry, 2019;Rogers, Sherman, & Spieler, 2014). The corrosion casting technique consists of injecting a liquid resin into the circulatory system and allowing it to harden.…”

“…Since then, a variety of substances have been explored to visualise the vascular tree. The initial substances to make the casts came with considerable drawbacks, as some substance required high temperatures, or other substances showed considerably shrinkage upon hardening (Cornillie et al, 2019;Murakami, 1971). Most of these drawbacks were overcome with the introduction of resins that harden due to polymerisation.…”

“…The choice of the casting media largely depends on the size of the specimens (costs and processing time), the intended use (elasticity) and the desired level of detail (viscosity). One of the most fluid casting media available is the Mercox II resin, which closely resembles the viscosity of blood and therefore is the resin of choice to visualise small blood vessels, including fine capillaries (Cornillie et al, 2019;Hossler, 1998;Rogers et al, 2014).…”

Evaluation of the compatibility between corrosion casts and 3D reconstruction of pig head arterial system on cone beam computed tomography

“…This technique is used to visualize hollow or virtual anatomical spaces. The cavity is filled with a liquid or at least malleable substance, that is subsequently allowed to solidify, after which the surrounding tissues are removed by biological, enzymatic, or chemical maceration (4).…”