ABSTRACT
This study focuses on obtaining more information about the site of anastomosis, with
three-dimensional examination using methylmethacrylate resin (Mercox) corrosion casts.
Seventy microvascular anastomoses were performed in Wistar albino rats, divided into
two groups before sacrifice. In Group 1 (35), Mercox was injected into the vessels,
whereas in Group 2 (35), the tissues were prepared without injecting Mercox. Both
groups were compared under the scanning electron microscope (SEM). The SEM preparation
in Group 1 was simple, easy, and artifacts were significantly minimized. The anastomotic
site could be well appreciated in three-dimensional views. Clear negative imprints
of the endothelial surface were achieved without any breakage in the Mercox corrosion
cast, and it can be reliably used in the evaluation of small vessel anastomosis.
