title: Synchrotron-based X-ray tomographic microscopy for visualization of three-dimensional collagen matrices.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Three-dimensional collagen matrices (3D-CMs) may be visualized by cumbersome reconstructions of serial sections. We report here on the method of synchrotron-based X-ray tomographic microscopy (SRXTM) to image 3D-CMs in native tissue probes.
  
  
  METHODS
  SRXTM of 3D-CMs (mucoderm®, mucograft®) was performed at the TOMCAT beamline of the Swiss Light Source (SLS) at the Paul Scherrer Institute (Villigen, Switzerland).
  
  
  RESULTS
  SRXTM combines the advantages of high-resolution scanning electron microscopy (SEM) imaging with the low-resolution reconstructions of micro-CT (μCT) imaging. It may be used to non-destructively visualize and analyze structures within the 3D-CMs without the need of serial sectioning and reconstruction.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  High-resolution SRXTM is a useful tool in analyzing the topology and morphometry of structures in 3D-CMs. The outcome justifies the efforts in sophisticated data processing.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  SRXTM may help to understand the clinical characteristics of 3D-CMs in more detail.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Functional and Clinical Anatomy, University Medical Center Mainz, Becherweg 13, 55099, Mainz, Germany.
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Pabst
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wagner
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kasaj
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gebhardt
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ackermann
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Astolfo
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Marone
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Haberthür
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Enzmann
authors.forename: Moritz A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Konerding
mesh_terms: D003094:Collagen / Q000378:metabolism*; D017356:Synchrotrons; D014056:Tomography, X-Ray / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D003094:Collagen