JISP vol 14(1)

The E12 Technique as an Accessory Tool for the Study of Myocardial Fiber Structure Analysis in MRI

E. Skalkos, G. Williams and C.A.C. Baptista
  Abstract
This paper documents use of the plastination E12 techique to analyze myocardial fiber arrangement and compare its pattern of distribution to magnetic resonance (MR) images. Human hearts were embed in a “plastic block” consisting of gelatin and polyethylene glycol and scanned using a General Electric Superconducting Magnet (Signa). After scanning the hearts were sectioned and processed for plastination. The E12 plastinated heart sections allowed visualization of the 3-dimensional details of the heart, vessels and myocardial bundles for comparison with the MR images. The myocardial fibers seen in the MR images showed similar gradient directions and details to the anatomical heart sections.