title: High resolution X-ray phase contrast synchrotron imaging of normal and ligation damaged rat sciatic nerves.
abstract: This study was performed to apply synchrotron radiation (SR) imaging to a neuropathologic evaluation technique after treatment of peripheral nerve blocks. A phase contrast synchrotron images of normal and ligation damaged rat sciatic nerve were obtained with an 8 KeV monochromatic beam and 20-mum thick CsI(TI) scintillation crystal. The visual image was magnified using a 20x microscope objective and captured using an analog CCD camera. Obtained images were compared with conventional light microscopic findings from the same nerve samples. By using an edge enhancement effect of phase const with SR, we could easily discriminate each nerve fiber and identify the arrangement of nerve fibers within a whole thickness (about 1 mm in diameter) of peripheral nerve without sectioning and fixation. The composite SR image of a ligation damaged rat sciatic nerve sample showed that the response to nerve injury was different on each side of the site of injury. The SR image of damaged distal lesion showed destruction of neural microarchitecture and typical extensive Wallerian degeneration of nerve fibers as clearly as histologic image. We could get very detailed morphologic data for Wallerian degeneration of nerve fibers by using the SR imaging technique. We believe that the phase contrast synchrotron imaging has great potential as an imaging tool in the bioscience and medical science.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, Catholic University of Daegu School of Medicine, Namgu, Daegu, Korea.
authors.forename: Bong-Il
authors.initials: BI
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Ki-Hong
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Hwa-Shik
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Youn
authors.forename: Sanghoon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jheon
authors.forename: Jong-Ki
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Hongtae
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008853:Microscopy / Q000379:methods*; D011859:Radiography / Q000379:methods*; D051381:Rats; D012584:Sciatic Nerve / Q000166:cytology*; D014855:Wallerian Degeneration / Q000473:pathology; D014965:X-Rays