ABSTRACT

Ligation during ovariohysterectomy (OHE) or surgical operations of the ovary affect the integrity and structure of the tissue. Evaluation of the ovarian follicle appearance and structures become important, especially if the removed ovaries are to be frozen and thawed and re-transplanted in patients receiving chemotherapy/radiotherapy. Accurate analysis requires fixation of the tissue with the convenient solution. In our study, we aimed to demonstrate the effect of 10% buffered formalin and Bouin solution on feline ovarian follicles and to determine the fixative with the effect of the time elapsed between ligation and removal of tissue during OHE in feline ovaries.

Ovarian tissue samples from healthy, non-pregnant, owned domestic cats (aged 10-24 months) were obtained during routine OHE. Half of each ovary was immersed into Bouin and 10% buffered formalin solution, followed by routine tissue processing after a one-day fixation period, and stained with hematoxylin eosin. Healthy and degenerated primordial follicles were counted and compared between these groups.

Regardless of the fixative type, there was no difference in tissue preservation and integrity in the macroscopic and histological evaluation of feline ovaries, which were removed during the operation with or without ligation and were directly fixed. Necrosis, congestion, or extravasation were not observed in the ovaries. The follicles observed in the feline ovarian cortex fixed with Bouins’ solution were mostly healthy in appearance, the majority of those fixed with formalin consisted of degenerated follicles.

In our study, it was revealed that short-term ligation did not affect the fixation of feline ovaries and that Bouin solution provided a significantly better follicle and cellular integrity and preservation of the entire structure compared to formalin.

Keywords: Feline Ovary, Ligation, Buffered Formalin, Bouins’ Solution