Barbara Munch, Glaxo Wellcome gave a wonderful rodent
necropsy workshop in Salt Lake City.  Collect lung,
she injected approx 3 mls or less NBF through trachea to
replace the air with fixative, lung slowly distended with
NBF, then immersed into a larger volume NBF.

 If one could do this, even on larger human lung tissue, through
one of the larger air passages or bronchi, this miniperfusion of
fixative should help remove air, permitting a good exchange of fixative
with solvents in processing.  I agree vacuum processing is
a help.

If one is not brave enough to try NBF injection, immerse lung in fixative
put Kimwipe on top to hold lung underneath wipe in fixative, then proceed
with grossing in, etc later.  If we could get it fixed, then processing was
unevenful, without bubbles.  Have even used a hemostat mosquito forceps
to hold lung (on an edge you don't need) down in fixative.

Hopefully, Barb will be repeating this workshop in Providence RI NSH
meeting, Oct 1999 and I highly recommend attending.  Captivating 3 1/2
hours with a video on rat and mouse necropsy technics!  Certainly
refined our tissue collection technics and lungs look much better.

Gayle Callis