Micro‐computed tomography imaging and analysis in developmental biology and toxicology

Abstract

Micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) is a high resolution imaging technique that has expanded and strengthened in use since it was last reviewed in this journal in 2004. The technology has expanded to include more detailed analysis of bone, as well as soft tissues, by use of various contrast agents. It is increasingly applied to questions in developmental biology and developmental toxicology. Relatively high-throughput protocols now provide a powerful and efficient means to evaluate embryos and fetuses subjected to genetic manipulations or chemical exposures. This review provides an overview of the technology, including scanning, reconstruction, visualization, segmentation, and analysis of micro-CT generated images. This is followed by a review of more recent applications of the technology in some common laboratory species that highlight the diverse issues that can be addressed.

The use of micro‐CT imaging to examine and illustrate fetal skeletal abnormalities in Dutch Belted rabbits and to prove concordance with Alizarin Red stained skeletal examination

“…One of the most important advantages of micro‐CT imaging is that it lends itself to the development of automated skeletal examination. In fact, Wise, Winkelmann, Dogdas, and Bagchi () published work describing methodology to automate skeletal examinations. In addition, Dogdas et al () using a test data set of 167 fetuses, with verified skeletal abnormalities, demonstrated a sensitivity of 0.959 and a specificity of 0.805 for the software program.…”

Early clinical applications for imaging at microscopic detail: microfocus computed tomography (micro-CT)

“…Numerous articles have investigated the effects of bone structure, osteogenesis, osteoporosis, bone resorption, bone remodelling, fracture healing, neoplasms and biocompatible materials, 3,7,32,33 within various animal models. The ability of micro-CT to evaluate trabecular structures allows quantification of bone destruction, commonly assessed in drug treatments and oncological progression.…”

MicroRNAs Regulate Bone Development and Regeneration

“…It is generally recognized that the assessments of bone density, microarchitecture and strength are significant in skeletal formation/regeneration research field [ 124 ]. In recent years, high-resolution micro-CT has become feasible for in vivo evaluation of bone quality, providing a high possible imaging spatial resolution [ 125 ]. Therefore, a number of research groups concentrate on the application of this advanced technology to appraise bone quality with miRNA treatment.…”