Sectional Anatomy of Plastinated Knee Joint: a Boon for Radiologists

The exact knowledge of the topographical anatomy is not only a pre-requisite but also facilitates accurate clinical diagnosis during MRI, CT and ultrasonography. It becomes more fascinating if the anatomical specimen being used to study is dry, odourless, non toxic and not a wet specimen with formalin fumes. Such specimens can be procured by using a novel processing technique called plastination. Thus the present study was undertaken to prepare coronal and sagittal knee region plastinates for studying sectional anatomy of knee joint and to compare them with MRI images of the same. A total of 4 knee joint specimens were collected, washed, cleaned and fixed in 5% formalin. Coronal (1cm) and sagittal (1 cm) slices were made, plastinated using S-10 silicon technique and compared with MRI images of the same. All the structures were exactly corresponding to the MRI images. Thus plastinated coronal and sagittal sections of the knee are ideal as teaching tool for studying sectional anatomy of knee not only because of their instructional value but their durability, ease of handling, transportation to operation theatre and a ready reference material at the work place.Plastinated knee specimens can serve as excellent educational tool for the undergraduate and postgraduate students of anatomy, radiology and orthopedics as they are dry, odorless, nontoxic with good structural preservation and higher instructional value. Fresh knee region when plastinated were esthetically superior in terms of color, dilatation and flexibility thus making them ideal for teaching and hands-on experience.