title: Intact Imaging of Human Heart Structure Using X-ray Phase-Contrast Tomography.
abstract: Structural examination of human heart specimens at the microscopic level is a prerequisite for understanding congenital heart diseases. It is desirable not to destroy or alter the properties of such specimens because of their scarcity. However, many of the currently available imaging techniques either destroy the specimen through sectioning or alter the chemical and mechanical properties of the specimen through staining and contrast agent injection. As a result, subsequent studies may not be possible. X-ray phase-contrast tomography is an imaging modality for biological soft tissues that does not destroy or alter the properties of the specimen. The feasibility of X-ray phase-contrast tomography for the structural examination of heart specimens was tested using infantile and fetal heart specimens without congenital diseases. X-ray phase-contrast tomography was carried out at the SPring-8 synchrotron radiation facility using the Talbot grating interferometer at the bending magnet beamline BL20B2 to visualize the structure of five non-pretreated whole heart specimens obtained by autopsy. High-resolution, three-dimensional images were obtained for all specimens. The images clearly showed the myocardial structure, coronary vessels, and conduction bundle. X-ray phase-contrast tomography allows high-resolution, three-dimensional imaging of human heart specimens. Intact imaging using X-ray phase-contrast tomography can contribute to further structural investigation of heart specimens with congenital heart diseases.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiovascular Surgery, National Medical Center for Children and Mothers, 2-10-1, Okura, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, 157-8535, Japan. yukihirokaneko@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Yukihiro
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0582-6349
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kaneko
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Gen
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Shinohara
authors.affiliation: Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute (SPring-8), Sayo, Japan.
authors.forename: Masato
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hoshino
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiovascular Surgery, National Medical Center for Children and Mothers, 2-10-1, Okura, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, 157-8535, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Morishita
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Kiyozo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Morita
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Kobe Children's Hospital, Kobe, Japan.
authors.forename: Yoshihiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Oshima
authors.affiliation: Division of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Niigata University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Niigata, Japan.
authors.forename: Masashi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.affiliation: Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute (SPring-8), Sayo, Japan.
authors.forename: Naoto
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Yagi
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiovascular Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe University, Kobe, Japan.
authors.forename: Yutaka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Okita
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiovascular Surgery, Japanese Red Cross Kobe Hospital, Kobe, Japan.
authors.forename: Takuro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tsukube
mesh_terms: D001344:Autopsy; D006321:Heart / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006330:Heart Defects, Congenital / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional; D008853:Microscopy; D017356:Synchrotrons; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
keywords: Congenital; Heart conduction system; Heart defects; Microscopy; Phase-contrast; Synchrotrons