Evaluation of porcine nasal turbinate retraction using 4% sodium hypochlorite in the plastination process

Abstract

Plastination is a technique that makes it possible to obtain innocuous, natural-looking and durable biological materials. Currently, alternative substances to those traditionally used during the plastination process are being sought. In this context, the aim of this research was to evaluate the retraction of nasal turbinates of swine using 4% sodium hypochlorite as an alternative substance to
formaldehyde in the fixation stage during the plastination process. Twenty-four nasal sections grouped in rostral and posterior segments were used, evaluating the extension of the dorsal, middle and ventral meatus, as well as the retraction index. The data were analyzed with the statistical software R version 4.3.2, estimating measures of central tendency and dispersion, as well as the distribution of the observations by means of the Shapiro-Wilks test; for the inferential analysis the Student's t-test was used for dependent and independent samples. The results revealed that, in the rostral sections, the extension of the dorsal, middle and ventral meatus did not differ from the statistical point of view after fixation with sodium hypochlorite (p >0.05); as for the posterior section, highly significant differences were determined at the level of the dorsal and middle meatus (p=0.0005), but not in the ventral meatus (p=0.56). The total retraction index between the rostral and posterior sections of the nasal cavity did not differ statistically (p=0.30). Sodium hypochlorite 4% proved to be an alternative as a fixative substance for structures present in the nasal cavity of the porcine species according to the retraction indexes obtained after fixation. obtained after fixation.