Brosig Susann, Peukert N, Metzger R, Schneider H, Haak R, Gosemann J, Lacher M, Kluth D
Department of Pediatric Surgery, University of Leipzig, Liebigstraße 20a, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.
Department of Pediatric and Adolescent Surgery, Paracelsus Medical University, Müllner Hauptstraße 48, 5020, Salzburg, Austria.
Pediatr Surg Int. 2018 Mar;34(3):297-305. doi: 10.1007/s00383-017-4213-1. Epub 2017 Nov 22.
The embryology of common congenital malformations is discussed controversially. Studies are hampered by a shortage of study material and techniques which require partial or complete preparation and therewith destruction of embryos. X-ray micro-computed-tomography (µCT) is a technical opportunity keeping the embryos intact. Thus, the aim of this study was to assess the applicability of µCT in embryonic research compared to the anatomical information obtained by scanning electron microscopy (SEM).
Chicken, rat, mouse and sheep embryos, processed either for SEM studies or as whole embryos, were imaged in three-dimensional (3D) using µCT. The obtained two-dimensional (2D) digital datasets were volume rendered by tomographic reconstruction software and studied using analysis software.
All embryos were µCT scanned without technical problems. The quality of the µCT images (image contrast, anatomical details) was excellent, but varied depending on age and species studied. µCT imaging allowed a more comprehensive anatomical/morphological analysis but showed less surface details compared to SEM.
µCT is a technique suitable and innovative for pediatric surgical research, which allows detailed evaluation of entire embryos without time- and specimen-consuming micro-dissection. Samples prepared for SEM can be used for µCT and vice versa.
常见先天性畸形的胚胎学存在争议性讨论。研究因缺乏研究材料以及需要部分或完全制备从而破坏胚胎的技术而受到阻碍。X射线显微计算机断层扫描（µCT）是一种能使胚胎保持完整的技术手段。因此，本研究的目的是评估与扫描电子显微镜（SEM）获得的解剖学信息相比，µCT在胚胎研究中的适用性。
将用于SEM研究或作为完整胚胎处理的鸡、大鼠、小鼠和绵羊胚胎，使用µCT进行三维（3D）成像。通过断层重建软件对获得的二维（2D）数字数据集进行体绘制，并使用分析软件进行研究。
所有胚胎均成功进行了µCT扫描，无技术问题。µCT图像的质量（图像对比度、解剖细节）极佳，但因所研究的胚胎年龄和物种不同而有所差异。µCT成像能够进行更全面的解剖学/形态学分析，但与SEM相比，表面细节较少。
µCT是一种适用于小儿外科研究的创新技术，它无需耗时且消耗标本的显微解剖就能对整个胚胎进行详细评估。为SEM制备的样本可用于µCT，反之亦然。
