Institute of Mechanics, Materials, and Civil Engineering, Université Catholique de Louvain, 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium.
Institute of Experimental and Clinical Research, Université Catholique de Louvain, 1200 Woluwe-Saint-Lambert, Belgium.
Int J Mol Sci. 2021 Mar 23;22(6):3263. doi: 10.3390/ijms22063263.
Cardiovascular malformations and diseases are common but complex and often not yet fully understood. To better understand the effects of structural and microstructural changes of the heart and the vasculature on their proper functioning, a detailed characterization of the microstructure is crucial. In vivo imaging approaches are noninvasive and allow visualizing the heart and the vasculature in 3D. However, their spatial image resolution is often too limited for microstructural analyses, and hence, ex vivo imaging is preferred for this purpose. Ex vivo X-ray microfocus computed tomography (microCT) is a rapidly emerging high-resolution 3D structural imaging technique often used for the assessment of calcified tissues. Contrast-enhanced microCT (CE-CT) or phase-contrast microCT (PC-CT) improve this technique by additionally allowing the distinction of different low X-ray-absorbing soft tissues. In this review, we present the strengths of ex vivo microCT, CE-CT and PC-CT for quantitative 3D imaging of the structure and/or microstructure of the heart, the vasculature and their substructures in healthy and diseased state. We also discuss their current limitations, mainly with regard to the contrasting methods and the tissue preparation.
心血管畸形和疾病较为常见，但较为复杂，且往往尚未被完全了解。为了更好地理解心脏和脉管系统的结构和微观结构变化对其正常功能的影响，对微观结构进行详细的特征描述至关重要。体内成像方法是非侵入性的，可在 3D 中可视化心脏和脉管系统。然而，其空间图像分辨率通常对于微观结构分析来说过于有限，因此，出于此目的，更倾向于使用离体成像。离体 X 射线微焦点计算机断层扫描（microCT）是一种新兴的高分辨率 3D 结构成像技术，常用于评估钙化组织。对比增强 microCT（CE-CT）或相位对比 microCT（PC-CT）通过另外允许区分不同低 X 射线吸收率的软组织，改进了该技术。在本综述中，我们介绍了离体 microCT、CE-CT 和 PC-CT 在健康和患病状态下定量 3D 成像心脏、脉管系统及其亚结构的结构和/或微观结构方面的优势。我们还讨论了它们目前的局限性，主要涉及对比方法和组织准备。
