title: Using optical coherence tomography to rapidly phenotype and quantify congenital heart defects associated with prenatal alcohol exposure.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The most commonly used method to analyze congenital heart defects involves serial sectioning and histology. However, this is often a time-consuming process where the quantification of cardiac defects can be difficult due to problems with accurate section registration. Here we demonstrate the advantages of using optical coherence tomography, a comparatively new and rising technology, to phenotype avian embryo hearts in a model of fetal alcohol syndrome where a binge-like quantity of alcohol/ethanol was introduced at gastrulation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The rapid, consistent imaging protocols allowed for the immediate identification of cardiac anomalies, including ventricular septal defects and misaligned/missing vessels. Interventricular septum thicknesses and vessel diameters for three of the five outflow arteries were also significantly reduced. Outflow and atrioventricular valves were segmented using image processing software and had significantly reduced volumes compared to controls. This is the first study to our knowledge that has 3D reconstructed the late-stage cardiac valves in precise detail to examine their morphology and dimensions.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We believe, therefore, that optical coherence tomography, with its ability to rapidly image and quantify tiny embryonic structures in high resolution, will serve as an excellent and cost-effective preliminary screening tool for developmental biologists working with a variety of experimental/disease models.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio.
authors.forename: Ganga
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Karunamuni
authors.forename: Shi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gu
authors.forename: Yong Qiu
authors.initials: YQ
authors.lastname: Doughman
authors.forename: Amanda I
authors.initials: AI
authors.lastname: Noonan
authors.forename: Andrew M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Rollins
authors.forename: Michael W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Jenkins
authors.forename: Michiko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Watanabe
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003370:Coturnix; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D000431:Ethanol / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D063647:Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D005583:Fourier Analysis; D006321:Heart / Q000187:drug effects / Q000196:embryology*; D006330:Heart Defects, Congenital / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000209:etiology; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional; D018811:Maternal Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D010641:Phenotype; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence
chemical_list: D000431:Ethanol
keywords: alcohol; biophotonic; defects; embryo; ethanol; heart