title: Quantitative measurement of fixation rate and dimension changes in the aldehyde/pressure-fixed canine carotid artery.
abstract: Excised canine carotid arteries held at constant physiologic length were cycled from -13 to +27 kPa with a constant-flow infusion pump, and the pressure-volume curves were recorded. The change in diameter on reducing the pressure from 16 to 0 kPa was determined and the strain of recoil [(diameter16--diameter0)/diameter16] calculated. Diameter recoil was reduced from 51% (fresh tissue) to 5% after 3 h pressure fixation in 4% formaldehyde and to 9% after 15 min in 2% glutaraldehyde with little further change. Lengthwise recoil was reduced from 37 to 10% after 5 min in 2% glutaraldehyde. Photographs were taken to measure outer diameter during pressure fixation. There was no change in diameter in either fixative from the first minute up to 3 days at the constant pressure of 16 kPa.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Western Ontario, London, Canada.
authors.forename: R G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Kratky
authors.forename: D K
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Lo
authors.forename: M R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Roach
mesh_terms: D000447:Aldehydes; D000818:Animals; D002339:Carotid Arteries / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D004285:Dogs; D005404:Fixatives; D005557:Formaldehyde; D005976:Glutaral; D011312:Pressure; D016707:Tissue Fixation / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D000447:Aldehydes; D005404:Fixatives; D005557:Formaldehyde; D005976:Glutaral