Presentation of intraosseous vascularization by sequential maceration.

Using the example of a knee joint, an injection-maceration technique used to present the pattern of arterial vessels inside and outside the bone is described. Femur and tibia are fixed in a rigid position by central cemented shafts, after synthetic resin has been injected i.a. into preparations of the thigh. The actual maceration of soft tissue is not done as a single process but in several steps. In this way, breaking of fine vessel ends as a result of mechanical overload is avoided. After the soft tissue has been completely removed, the bone surface is coated with resin, while the articular surface is left uncoated. In the final step the three-dimensional structure of the bone surface and the pattern of the periosteal vessels remain unchanged. The method described allows presentation of intraosseous arterial vessels less than 20 micron in diameter. The results that can be obtained are demonstrated using the example of arterial supply of the patella and of the condyles of the femur.