Histology slides from cadaveric tissue- can it be an alternative?

Abstract

Background: Current trends in medical curricula are shifting from teaching histology and pathology as stand‑alone disciplines. Histological slides are routinely prepared by using tissues from surgically removed specimens which are an unreliable source for a normal histology, with associated with ethical issues. An alternative tissue source is animal tissue which is easily available, but it has different histological details as compared to the human tissue. Therefore, it would be useful to examine the potential value of integrating these into the anatomical dissection experience. Objectives: To standardize the histology of different tissue types of the embalmed human cadavers. Materials and Methods: Twenty two human cadavers (14 Males & 8 females) received to the department of anatomy through body donations were selected for sample collection. The taken tissues were fixed into 10% buffered formalin, processed and stained with usual H and E staining. The prepared slides were studied. Using predefined criteria, the quality of the samples was evaluated by two pathologists of the institute and each slide was categorized as good, satisfactory or poor. Results: All post embalmed sections were better in staining and appearance. The nuclei, the cell membranes and the cytoplasmic details were clear and well preserved. Majority (54.17%) of the slides were found to be good quality, followed by satisfactory quality (39.59%). The Fisher’s exact test showed statistically significant difference in the slide quality of various tissues (P < 0.01). Conclusion: Most of the tissues acquired from the embalmed cadavers were of good or satisfactory quality. It indicates the beneficial use of histological tissue from cadavers for educational purposes. Future research into how these findings translate into meaningful medical education would be beneficial.

Keywords

• cadaveric tissue
• embalmed cadavers
• histology
• medical education