Paraffin processing of stented arteries using a postfixation dissolution of metallic and polymeric stents.
Studying the morphology of the arterial response to endovascular stent implantation requires embedding the explanted stented artery in rigid materials such as poly(methyl methacrylate) to enable sectioning through both the in situ stent and the arterial wall, thus maintaining the proper anatomic relationships. This is a laborious, time-consuming process. Moreover, the technical quality of stained plastic sections is typically suboptimal and, in some cases, precludes immunohistochemical analysis. Here we describe a novel technique for dissolution of metallic and plastic stents that is compatible with subsequent embedding of "destented" arteries in paraffin, fine sectioning, major staining protocols, and immunohistochemistry.
The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA. Electronic address: fishbein@email.chop.edu.
Ilia
I
Fishbein
Department of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery, University of Texas, Dallas, Richardson, TX, USA.
Tre
T
Welch
The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
David T
DT
Guerrero
The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Ivan S
IS
Alferiev
The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Richard F
RF
Adamo
The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Michael
M
Chorny
The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Rohit K
RK
Gupte
The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Yanqing
Y
Tang
The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Robert J
RJ
Levy
D000818:Animals; D003331:Coronary Vessels / Q000473:pathology; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D023421:Models, Animal; D016612:Paraffin Embedding / Q000379:methods*; D011091:Polyesters / Q000737:chemistry*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012995:Solubility; D013194:Staining and Labeling; D013193:Stainless Steel / Q000737:chemistry*; D015607:Stents; D016707:Tissue Fixation
D011091:Polyesters; D013193:Stainless Steel; C033616:poly(lactide)
Arterial tissue; Histological processing; Immunohistochemistry; Paraffin embedding; Stents