A rapid method for preparing undecalcified sections of bone for autoradiographic investigation with short-lived radionuclides.

To prepare sections of undecalcified bone suitable both for autoradiography with short-lived radionuclides such as 99m-technetium (t 1/2 = 6 hr) and for normal histology, rapid processing is necessary. By modifying the routine technique of embedding in plastic, sections can be obtained within 6 hours. The most important modification concerns the temperature used for the different steps in the process. The procedure has been used to localize 99mTc labeled methylene diphosphonate for skeletal scintigraphy.