Tissue‐plastinated vs. celloidin‐embedded large serial sections in video, analog and digital photographic on‐screen reproduction: a preliminary step to exact virtual 3D modelling, exemplified in the normal midface and cleft‐lip and palate

Abstract

This study analyses tissue-plastinated vs. celloidin-embedded large serial sections, their inherent artefacts and aptitude with common video, analog or digital photographic on-screen reproduction. Subsequent virtual 3D microanatomical reconstruction will increase our knowledge of normal and pathological microanatomy for cleft-lip-palate (clp) reconstructive surgery. Of 18 fetal (six clp, 12 control) specimens, six randomized specimens (two clp) were BiodurE12 -plastinated, sawn, burnished 90 µ m thick transversely (five) or frontally (one), stained with azureII/methylene blue, and counterstained with basic-fuchsin (TP-AMF). Twelve remaining specimens (four clp) were celloidin-embedded, microtome-sectioned 75 µ m thick transversely (ten) or frontally (two), and stained with haematoxylin-eosin (CE-HE).Computed-planimetry gauged artefacts, structure differentiation was compared with light microscopy on video, analog and digital photography. Total artefact was 0.9% (TP-AMF) and 2.1% (CE-HE); TP-AMF showed higher colour contrast, gamut and luminance, and CE-HE more red contrast, saturation and hue ( P < 0.4). All (100%) structures of interest were light microscopically discerned, 83% on video, 76% on analog photography and 98% in digital photography.Computed image analysis assessed the greatest colour contrast, gamut, luminance and saturation on video; the most detailed, colour-balanced and sharpest images were obatined with digital photography ( P < 0.02). TP-AMF retained spatial oversight, covered the entire area of interest and should be combined in different specimens with CE-HE which enables more refined muscle fibre reproduction. Digital photography is preferred for on-screen analysis.

Evaluation of two 3D virtual computer reconstructions for comparison of cleft lip and palate to normal fetal microanatomy

“…Nor were external fiducial markers used (Brä ndle, 1989;Hara et al, 1989;McLean and Prothero, 1991;Streicher et al, 1997) for realignment and deformation calculation. Preliminary artifact assessment (Landes et al, 2005) showed isolated structures to be differently deformed than the whole anatomic conformation. Therefore, external fiducials yield merely approximate deformation information because each tissue is deformed with different elasticity.…”

“…Both techniques were used to compare detail recognition and artifact correction not merely to apply one embedding and staining method but to be able to evaluate software algorithms in different situations. Because detail was lost with the plastination approach (Landes et al, 2005), the celloidin-hematoxylineosin method was relied on for the present study. The transverse cutting plane was preferred because it followed the mainly anterioposterior course of the soft palate muscles.…”

Finite element simulation of skeletal muscular structures obtained from images of histological serial sections

“…To provide a suitable finite element conformal tetrahedral mesh on the basis of images of histological serial sections annotated with polygonal segments (Landes et al, 2005) a level set approach is used to construct an implicit surface on a rectilinear grid (Zhao et al, 2001). The surface is used to guide an octree subdivision process and is determined by time evolving an initial guess through a physically motivated convection model that is described by the following level set equation:…”

Computation of a tetrahedral mesh for striated muscle deformation simulation

“…All cases were classified post mortem to be beyond Carnegie stage 20. Steps of tissue preparation have been published elsewhere (Landes et al, 2005). Three basic steps were designed to constitute the aforementioned systems biological approach: mesh generation, computation of contraction directions and last not least simulation of contracting striated muscle activity (see Fig.…”