Computerized tomography of in vitro abdominal organs--effect of preservation methods on attenuation coefficient

The effect of formalin, freezing, and refigeration on the attenuation coefficient of fresh abdominal tissue of rhesus monkeys and dogs was investigated over a 1-week period. These techniques were used individually and in combinations designed to simulate circumstances involved in future in vitro investigations of human specimens. Statistically significant alterations of attenuation coefficients were found to occur at all scanning times within the first week except for the first 48 hr of formalin storage. Refrigeration resulted in the largest alteration. The results indicate the attenuation coefficients of tissues preserved by these three methods may be altered and that the magnitude of the change will vary according to the preservation techniques, tissue, and duration between tissue death and scanning.