title: Plastination of decalcified bone by a new resin technique.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The scope of this study was to preserve whole detailed structure of dissected and decalcified bones, taken from used cadavers, by a new plastination technique.
  
  
  METHODS
  Specimens we used in this study were sheep femurs and human bones including pelvis, femur, tibia, and fibula. Bones, at first, fixed with 5% formalin and were decalcified with 5% nitric acid, and then were fixed again and washed under the tap water. The resulted flexible bones were dehydrated in -25°C acetone and degreased them in +25°C acetone. Then, the experimental and control specimen were placed in the vacuum chamber for forced impregnation with our new flexible unsaturated polyester resin (UP89 method) and silicon resin (S10 method), respectively. Finally, the strength and flexibility of plastinated decalcified specimens were investigated by tensometer, and the weight diversity was measured by digital balance.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Plastinated bones prepared by this technique were found to be dried, non-fragile, durable, odorless, non-greasy, and demonstrating all detailed structures of the bones. Tensile and weight tests results indicated that plastinated decalcified femurs have owned higher flexibility and strength but lesser weight than plastinated undecalcified femurs. The characteristics of both experimental and control groups of plastinated decalcified specimens were found to have no significant difference.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our synthesized resin found to be much more economical than conventional plastination method. In more details, properties of these new products were the same as, S10 method, from points of strength, flexibility and weight, but, since the money cost for producing them was about one fifth that of S10 method.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomical Sciences, School of Medicine Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
authors.forename: Abbas Ali
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Rabiei
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomical Sciences, School of Medicine Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
authors.forename: Ebrahim
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Esfandiary
authors.affiliation: Department of Polymer, Faculty of Chemistry, Isfahan University, Isfahan, Iran.
authors.forename: Morteza
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hajian
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Atefe
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shamosi
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomical Sciences, School of Medicine Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
authors.forename: Mohammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mardani
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomical Sciences, School of Medicine Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
authors.forename: Bahman
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Rashidi
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomical Sciences, School of Medicine Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
authors.forename: Mohsen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Setayeshmehr
keywords: Bones; UP89 method; decalcification; plastination