Soft-tissue specimen shrinkage during the preparation for scanning electron microscopy

The amount of shrinkage and the scanning electron microscope appearance of specimens of rat tongue, soft palate and small intestine, dehydrated by air­ drying, the critical point technique, the camphene technique and freeze drying were compared. In the specimens of tongue the area shrinkage ranged be­ tween 11,8 and 30,4 per cent, in the soft palate from 19,8 to 37,4 per cent and in the small intestine from 26,0 to 51,4 per cent. The least amount of shrinkage was in tissues dehydrated using freeze-drying. Shrinkage due to the critical point technique itself was tongue 17,4 per cent, soft palate 15 per cent and small intestine 14,4 per cent. This was half the total shrinkage seen in the tongue and soft palate and a quarter of that in the small intestine. It was not possi­ ble to distinguish between the scanning electron microscope appearances of comparable samples dehy­ drated with the various techniques. OPSOMMING