Improved method of preparation of inflated-fixed lung for radiologic-pathologic correlation

The technique of inflation and fixation of the lung with polyethylene glycol is useful for specimen radiography and radiologic-pathologic correlation, but it is limited by poor histologic staining of the fixed tissue. To improve staining we used formalin to distend and fix the lung before standard fixation with a polyethylene glycol mixture. In this preliminary study, canine and infant lungs, and lungs from three cases of lung cancer were examined. The modified technique provided high-quality staining and satisfactory specimen radiography in all cases except one of the lung cancers; in this case excessive shrinkage occurred and degraded radiographic quality. We conclude that the new method of preparation permits both specimen radiography and high quality staining of the fixed tissue.