Anatomical exploration of a dicephalous goat kid using sheet plastination (E12)

A dicephalous, 1-day-old, female goat kid was presented for anatomical study. Epoxy plastination slices (E12) were used successfully to explore this condition. They provided excellent anatomic and bone detail, demonstrating organ position, shared structures, and vascular anatomy. Sheet plastination (E12) was used as an optimal method to clarify how the two heads were united, especially the neuroanatomy. The plastinated transparent slices allowed detailed study of the anatomical structures, in a non-collapsed and non-dislocated state. Thus, we anatomically explored this rare condition without traditional dissection. The advantages of plastination extended to the preservation at room temperature of this case for further topographical investigation. To the authors' best knowledge, this is the first published report of plastination of a dicephalous goat. © 2009 Japanese Teratology Society.