In vivo microscopic X-ray imaging in rat and mouse using synchrotron radiation

摘要

A preclinical laboratory animal imaging modality similar to microangiography, with spatial resolution as high as 6 μm, has been developed at SPring-8 using an X-ray direct-conversion type detector incorporating an X-ray SATICON pickup tube. The imaging modality is intended to provide a basic understanding of disease mechanisms. In synchrotron radiation radiography, a long source-to-object distance and a small source spot can produce high-resolution images with spatial resolution in the micrometer range. Synchrotron radiation microangiography presents the main advantage of depicting the anatomy of small blood vessels with tens of micrometers' diameter. We performed cerebral microangiography in rats and mice and particularly undertook radiographical evaluation of changes in small arteries located deep in the brain; such vessels had not been observed and studied previously. Moreover, an X-ray direct-conversion type solid-state imager with spatial resolution in the micrometer range is being designed for large field-of-view imaging. This study is also intended to clarify requirements related to specifications of prospective solid-state image sensors.