Scanning Electron Microscopy in Otorhinolaryngology Research, 1969

Abstract

THE scanning electron microscope (SEM) is a relatively new tool in the biomedical researcher's armamentarium. It differs significantly in design and range of application from the conventional or transmission electron microscope (TEM). The major use of the SEM is in the stereoscopic-like or three-dimensional analysis of biological surface structure in a continuous practical range of magnification from ×20 to ×50,000 with a resolution of approximately 300 to 500 Angstroms. The marked increase in conceptual or experential spatial information obtained from a given specimen is due to a 300-fold increase in the depth of field over other types of microscopy and to the shadowing effect of the secondarily emitted electrons. This allows the perception of depth in a two-dimensional photograph. The reader is referred to a general article on the biomedical uses of the SEM.¹ Except for "hard" dental tissues which were first studied in the early 1960's, little work