Improved method for examination of microvascular structures in bone tissue

Scanning electron microscopy of methylmethacrylate vascular corrosion casts was used for the morphologic examination of the microvascular system in bone. The methylmethacrylate used for vascular casting was prepared by prepolymerization with ultraviolet light. To approximate the viscosity of blood in the microcirculation, where the hematocrit of blood is lower than in the rest of the circulation, a viscosity between that of plasma and full blood was chosen for the casting material. Neither the ultraviolet prepolymerization of methylmethacrylate nor the choice of a viscosity this low has been used in microcorrosion casting in bone before. Further preparation of the tissue followed 2 directions: (1) complete maceration and decalcification of the specimens, thereby exposing all the vascular structures for detailed examination. By this procedure, it was possible to show detailed and sharp impressions of the vascular bed, and to show, for the first time, the vascular loop from a cutting cone; and (2) maceration without decalcification of the specimens, which is suitable for examination of relations between the microvascular system and the bone tissue. This technique enables studies of the role of the vascular system in bone remodeling and of the involvement of vascular structures in bone disorders. This improved technique for examination of microvascular structures in bone enables detailed studies of the vascular system and its relation to active remodeling sites in bone.