Gelatin Arterial Injection in Human Brain as Method for Enhanced Visualization for White Fiber Dissection for Neurosurgical Skills

Abstract In the evolving landscape of neurosurgery, the knowledge of three-dimensional neurovascular anatomy is a key step in the undergraduate and postgraduate medical education. Gelatin-injected brain models can become a cornerstone in neurosurgical training by providing a real experience that could improve surgical skills and results. This article presents an original technique to label the vascularization using arterial injection in human brains. The procedure is performed on formalin-fixed donated cadavers, and gelatin aqueous solutions colored with dry pigment are injected into the internal carotid arteries after flushing with normal saline. With the help of this technique, the vascular system of the brain is well perfused and gelatin-injected vessels maintain real appearance as well as aid in better perfusion of small vessels for white fiber dissection. In this article, we described the method and step-by-step guidelines to inject the colored material along with aqueous gelatin by intra-arterial injection to visualize the cerebral vasculature. This creates an enhanced model for white fiber dissection for neurosurgical training.