Summary
Plastination is a modern method of preserving organic material. During the procedure, water in tissues is replaced by macromolecular substances (silicone, epoxy or polyester resin). After completing the process, the resulting tissue is durable, has smooth and clean surface, does not require any special storage, is convenient to handle (without gloves) and has no unpleasant odour. Plastinated specimens are therefore widely used for educational and scientific purposes in different fields - human anatomy, pathology, veterinary medicine, botany, archaeology.
Plastination laboratory was equipped in 2013-2014 at the Department of Anatomy, Histology and Anthropology, Vilnius University Faculty of Medicine. Setting up the laboratory has been supported by the Lithuanian National Integrated Programme for the development and renovation of R&D infrastructure for the Medical Sciences (No. VP2-1.1-SMM-04-V-02-006).
The laboratory was equipped with exhaust ventilation, electricity and running water. The equipment and substances for plastination were bought from the "BIODUR Products GmbH" company. The laboratory has been designed for utilizing S10 silicone technique. Maximum specimen size for the equipment is up to the size of horizontal body slices at shoulder level.
Keywords: plastination, S10 silicone technique, anatomy.