Scanning electron microscope: a new approach of an old issue

With a power that reaches more than 100 000 times the naked eye, the scanning electron microscope (SEM) has emerged during the past 2 decades as a novel technique for visualizing the ultrastructures of tissues and cells, providing a different point of view for many medical applications. Several techniques have been developed throughout the years to prepare the specimens for examination by the SEM, ranging between maceration, cracking, and resin-corrosion cast techniques. It is clear that the problem is not in the methods of the techniques themselves, but involves the application of them, which is implicated by human error and bias. Their outcoming results, when interpreted as it should, will direct the attention of the researchers to more vast discoveries. It has been shown throughout the past years that the SEM is and will stay a valuable tool for approaching new research results, but only if the suitable technique is properly applied.