Technical parameters of plastics (Mercox CL-2B and various methylmethacrylates) used in scanning electron microscopy of vascular corrosion casts.

The most frequently used resins for vascular corrosion casting Mercox Cl-2B, Mercox Cl-2B diluted with methylmethacrylate (MMA) monomer and various self prepared MMA and hydroxypropyl-methacrylate mixtures were tested with regard to their thermostability, shrinkage, viscosity and replication quality. It was found that tempering of the plastics improves their thermostability with the exception of Mercox Cl-2B and that shrinkage depends on the amount of monomers a resin contains. In detail; Mercox Cl-2B has the lowest shrinkage (8.018%) whereas a hydroxypropyl-methacrylate mixture possessed the highest (20.408%). But, on the other hand, viscosity decreases with the quantity of monomers. All resins tested were able to replicate structures of 260 nm height but the resins' quality of replication was found to be limited by the effects of shrinkage. Finally, a method to estimate the blood volume of organs and tissues with the help of vascular corrosion casts is given.