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77th Annual Meeting of the German Society of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology, Head and Neck Surgery

German Society of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology, Head and Neck Surgery

24.05. - 28.05.2006, Mannheim

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Micro-grinding technique for histological evaluation of new developed ossicular replacement prostheses in the middle ear of rabbits

Eine neue Methode zur histologischen Beurteilung von neu entwickelten Gehörknöchelchenprothesen im Kaninchenmittelohr

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  • corresponding author presenting/speaker Christina Turck - Dept. of Otolaryngology, Medical University of Hannover, Hannover, Germany
  • author Martin Stieve - Dept. of Otolaryngology, Medical University of Hannover, Hannover, Germany
  • author Gudrun Brandes - Dept. of Cellbiology, Medical University of Hannover, Hannover, Germany
  • author Thomas Lenarz - Dept. of Otolaryngology, Medical University of Hannover, Hannover, Germany

German Society of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery. 77th Annual Meeting of the German Society of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery. Mannheim, 24.-28.05.2006. Düsseldorf, Köln: German Medical Science; 2006. Doc06hno054

The electronic version of this article is the complete one and can be found online at: http://www.egms.de/en/meetings/hno2006/06hno054.shtml

Published: September 7, 2006

© 2006 Turck et al.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/deed.en). You are free: to Share – to copy, distribute and transmit the work, provided the original author and source are credited.

Outline

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Introduction: For development of new materials for reconstruction of the ossicular chain it is important to represent the position of the prosthesis in situ. Additionally the histological examination of surrounding tissue is essential for the evaluation of biocompatibility of new materials. The micro-grinding procedure allows examination of bony as well as soft tissue structures.

Materials and methods: In an experimental animal study 80 petrous bones were extracted. Specimens were fixated in glutaraldehyd for two hours. An increasing concentration of ethanol was used to dehydrate the preparations. For 8 hours samples were placed in a drying cabinet at 65°C and were then embedded in epoxy resin. A special micro-grinding machine was used for grinding and polishing the surface, which was then stained with a three-fold-colouring by Mann-Dominici. Specimens were examined and photo-documented in at least five different planes by using a light microscope and an external cold light source.

Results: During macroscopic examinations surrounding structures and connection areas of the prostheses could be evaluated three-dimensionally. Additionally the position of the prostheses within the tympanic cavity could be documented optimally. Up to 32-fold magnification joining tissue and cells were differentiated very well by microscopic examination.

Conclusion: Compared with parafine-preparation a reproduction of middle ear structures without any shift of tissue and artefacts could be seen. However, consequent photo-documentation of those single planes is imperativ. This technique will provide valuable, additional information for the development and evaluation of new middle ear implants.