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. 2004 Jul-Aug;6(4):374-9.
doi: 10.1593/neo.03481.

High-resolution X-ray microtomography for the detection of lung tumors in living mice

Nora M De Clerck  1 , Kris Meurrens, Horst Weiler, Dirk Van Dyck, Greet Van Houtte, Piter Terpstra, Andrei A Postnov
Affiliations

High-resolution X-ray microtomography for the detection of lung tumors in living mice

Nora M De Clerck et al. Neoplasia. 2004 Jul-Aug.

Abstract

In the present study, the feasibility of applying high-resolution microtomography (micro-CT) for the detection of lung tumors was investigated in live mice at an early and more advanced stage of tumor development. The chest area of anesthesized mice was scanned by X-ray micro-CT. In mice with a minor and heavy tumor load, micro-CT proved to be a fast and noninvasive imaging device for the detection of lung tumors. After validation of the CT data by histologic sectioning, it was shown that the majority of tumors could be distinguished in the reconstructed virtual slices obtained by micro-CT. The data from micro-CT were also confirmed by visual inspection of the inflated and excised lungs postmortem. In vivo micro-CT opens broad perspectives for imaging tumor development and its progression in a noninvasive way. Micro-CT also allows for longitudinal evaluation of the treatment of lung cancer by drugs.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Panel (a): Scout view through the chest area of a live healthy mouse. The horizontal line indicates where the virtual cross section was located. Panel (b): Reconstructed virtual cross section. Notice the lungs and the heart. Distinction could be made between the lung tissue, bronchi, and empty air spaces.
Figure 2
Figure 2
(a) Reconstructed cross section through the chest area of a mouse. In panel (a), special banding was applied to reduce motion artifacts. Panel (b) illustrates a representative virtual cross section through the lungs of a representative mouse with heavy tumor load (10 months after injection). The arrows indicate two representative tumors.
Figure 3
Figure 3
(a) Photograph of the excised and inflated pair of lungs of a representative mouse with heavy tumor load. The tumors are numbered. The virtual in vivo micro-CT cross sections through each tumor were superimposed. (b) Shows the identification of each tumor after histologic staining. In the two lobes shown in the picture of this representative example, a total of 15 tumor regions was recognized. Tumor 14 was not found in the micro-CT cross sections.
Figure 4
Figure 4
(a) Photograph of the excised and inflated lungs of a representative mouse with minor tumor load. The tumors were numbered. The cross sections by in vivo micro-CT were indicated on the picture. (b) Semitransparent 3D reconstruction of the same lung with minor tumor load, based on the virtual in vivo CT slices. The spatial organization and localization of the tumor spots can be seen.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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