Three-dimensional visualization of rat brain microvasculature following permanent focal ischaemia by synchrotron radiation.
OBJECTIVE
Identifying morphological changes that occur in microvessels under both normal and ischaemic conditions is crucial for understanding and treating stroke. However, conventional imaging techniques are not able to detect microvessels on a micron or sub-micron scale without angiography. In the present study, synchrotron radiation (SR)-based X-ray in-line phase contrast imaging (ILPCI) was used to acquire high-resolution and high-contrast images of rat brain tissues in both normal and ischaemic states.


METHODS
ILPCI was performed at the Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility, Shanghai, China, without the use of contrast agents. CT slices were reformatted and then converted into three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction images to analyse subtle details of the cerebral microvascular network.


RESULTS
By using ILPCI, brain vessels up to 11.8 μm in diameter were resolved. The number of cortical and penetrating arteries detected were found to undergo a remarkable decrease within the infarct area. 3 days after permanent ischaemia, vascular masses were also observed in the peripheral region of the infarcts.


CONCLUSIONS
SR-based ILPCI-CT can serve as a powerful tool to accurately visualize brain microvasculature. The morphological parameters of blood vessels in both CT slices and 3D reconstructions were determined, and this approach has great potential for providing an effective diagnosis and evaluation for rehabilitation therapy for stroke.


CONCLUSIONS
In the absence of contrast agent, the 3D morphologies of the brain microvasculature in normal and stroke rats were obtained using SR-based ILPCI. SR imaging is a sensitive and promising method which can be used to explore primary brain function.
Department of Neurology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China.
M Q
MQ
Zhang
D N
DN
Sun
Y Y
YY
Xie
G Y
GY
Peng
J
J
Xia
H Y
HY
Long
B
B
Xiao
D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000098:blood supply*; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000209:etiology*; D002533:Cerebral Angiography / Q000379:methods*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional; D008297:Male; D055806:Microvessels / Q000528:radiation effects*; D011857:Radiographic Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D017356:Synchrotrons; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods*