title: X-ray diffraction-enhanced imaging of uterine leiomyomas.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The purpose of this study was to investigate the microstructures of a uterine leiomyoma using a synchrotron-based imaging technique.
  
  
  METHODS
  The tissues of different regions of a uterine leiomyoma were imaged using X-ray diffraction-enhanced imaging.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared with optical microscopy and conventional X-ray, X-ray diffraction-enhanced imaging can show not only the surface, but also the internal structure of organs or soft tissues with better contrast. Internal hyaline degeneration and the cavum of liquefied uterine leiomyomas are shown very clearly. Some microstructures, such as the myomatous burble, rupture and conglomeration of muscle fiber, and the cavum resulting from red degeneration, can be displayed in X-ray diffraction-enhanced images. These microstructures can show the developmental progress of necrosis in uterine leiomyomas and indicate their potential canceration.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  X-ray diffraction-enhanced imaging can clearly show internal microstructures of uterine leiomyomas, making the complex procedure of doing this with a large number of pathology slices avoidable.
authors.affiliation: Synchrotron Radiation Research Center of Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Chenglin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Yuan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Xinyi
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Wentao
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Weijun
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.forename: Daren
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.forename: Peiping
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Yulian
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tian
authors.forename: Wanxia
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Huang
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007889:Leiomyoma / Q000473:pathology*; D017356:Synchrotrons; D014594:Uterine Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D014961:X-Ray Diffraction / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*