Serial section-based three-dimension reconstruction of kidney tissue

Abstract

Objective To explore a feasible method for three diamensions(3D) entity reconstruction of kidney tissue based on serial light microscopic sections. Methods C57/BL/6J mice kidneys were fixed by perfusion via abdominal aorta. Tissue blocks were cut out perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the kidney, postfixed in OsO4, and embedded in flat molds in Epon 812. Four hundred serial sections with 2.5 μm in thickness were generated using a microtome and stained with toluidine blue. Then, images from digital microscopy were captured, aligned and checked. These images underwent color correction and were transformed into grey-scale pictures and pre-processed before imported for further analysis. Finally, 3D reconstruction of kidney was generated using the MIMICS toolkit. Results Every two of the 400 images were used as raw data, aligned and checked for the quality of 3D reconstruction from objective and subjective aspects. The 3D reconstruction entity was obtained using MIMICS, with its volume being 51 205 497.02 μm3 and surface area being 18 650 385.47 μm2. Such generated 3D entity data could be done with finite element analysis (FEA). The tissue microstructure of the entity was morphologically confirmed to be correct. Conclusions The method for 3D reconstructing renal entity not only provides an approach for visualization and morphology measurement of the tissue, but can also be useful for geometric model construction of FEA. Key words: Kidney; Imaging, three-dimensional; Image processing, computer-assisted; Serial section; Visualization