{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,12]],"date-time":"2026-02-12T12:11:27Z","timestamp":1770898287002,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":20,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"9","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,20]],"date-time":"2025-09-20T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1758326400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Brain Sciences"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Purpose: Cadaveric dissection is a cornerstone of neurosurgical education, providing trainees with a realistic 3D understanding of anatomy and a safe environment to practice surgical approaches. A preservation technique was developed that merges the advantages of fresh-frozen and embalmed cadavers, maintaining tissue realism while enhancing durability. This approach preserves flexibility and natural color, improves anatomical detail, and creates a safe, long-lasting model ideal for neurosurgical training. Methods: Four specimens were thawed, cannulated, and irrigated before implementing a protocol consisting of low concentration formaldehyde with glycerol and ethanol for extended preservation. The specimens were prepared for both neurosurgery training and educational purposes, and their condition was evaluated with a semi-quantitative scale. Each specimen was evaluated independently by two raters, blinded to the time-point, using a semi-quantitative scale anchored to predefined criteria (0\u20133 per domain). Inter-rater reliability was calculated using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC [2,k]) for continuous scores and Cohen\u2019s \u03ba for categorical agreement. Results: Over nine years of intermittent use, the specimens remained in good condition: tissues retained sufficient softness for dissection, injected vessels stayed vivid in color, and no foul odor or microbial growth was observed. The evaluation employed a semi-quantitative scale, with results ranging from 11\/14 to 14\/14. The mean values demonstrate stable tissue quality over time, with only minor variations in color and perfusion. The inter-rater reliability was high (ICC = 0.91; \u03ba = 0.88). Conclusions: The preservation method leverages the strengths of both fresh-frozen and embalmed models. The results suggest feasibility of long-term reuse, although further quantitative validation is needed.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/brainsci15091016","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,22]],"date-time":"2025-09-22T08:37:39Z","timestamp":1758530259000},"page":"1016","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["Long-Term Preservation of Human Head and Neck Specimens for Neurosurgical Training: A Technical Note"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"15","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8431-0433","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Francesco","family":"Signorelli","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Neurosurgery, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario \u201cA. Gemelli\u201d IRCCS, 00168 Rome, Italy"},{"name":"Department of Neurosurgery, Universit\u00e0 Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 00168 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0008-1524-5154","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Valid","family":"Rastegar","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Neurosurgery, Universit\u00e0 Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 00168 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0004-0948-5750","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Matteo","family":"Palermo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Neurosurgery, Universit\u00e0 Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 00168 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Domenico","family":"Laino","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Istituto di Sanit\u00e0 Pubblica, Sezione di Medicina Legale, Universit\u00e0 Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Largo F. Vito 1, 00168 Roma, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0002-0849-7640","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Fabio","family":"Zeoli","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Neurosurgery, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario \u201cA. Gemelli\u201d IRCCS, 00168 Rome, Italy"},{"name":"Department of Neurosurgery, Universit\u00e0 Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 00168 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1087-0491","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Massimiliano","family":"Visocchi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Neurosurgery, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario \u201cA. Gemelli\u201d IRCCS, 00168 Rome, Italy"},{"name":"Department of Neurosurgery, Universit\u00e0 Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 00168 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,20]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"E6","DOI":"10.3171\/2023.10.FOCUS23638","article-title":"Creation of a Microsurgical Neuroanatomy Laboratory and Virtual Operating Room: A Preliminary Study","volume":"56","author":"Erol","year":"2024","journal-title":"Neurosurg. Focus"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"190","DOI":"10.1007\/s10143-024-02363-7","article-title":"Toward an Optimal Cadaveric Brain Model for Neurosurgical Education: Assessment of Preservation, Parenchyma, Vascular Injection, and Imaging","volume":"47","author":"Xu","year":"2024","journal-title":"Neurosurg. 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Surg."}],"container-title":["Brain Sciences"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2076-3425\/15\/9\/1016\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,9]],"date-time":"2025-10-09T18:46:17Z","timestamp":1760035577000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2076-3425\/15\/9\/1016"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,20]]},"references-count":20,"journal-issue":{"issue":"9","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,9]]}},"alternative-id":["brainsci15091016"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/brainsci15091016","relation":{},"ISSN":["2076-3425"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2076-3425","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,20]]}}}