In ovo serial skeletal muscle diffusion tractography of the developing chick embryo using DTI: feasibility and correlation with histology

Authors

Zien Zhou, Department of Radiology, Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of MedicineFollow
Zachary DelProposto, Department of Radiology, Henry Ford HospitalFollow
Lianming Wu, Department of Radiology, Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of MedicineFollow
Jianrong Xu, Department of Radiology, Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of MedicineFollow
Jia Hua, Department of Radiology, Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of MedicineFollow
Yan Zhou, Department of Radiology, Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of MedicineFollow
Yongquan Ye, Department of Radiology, Wayne State UniversityFollow
Zishu Zhang, Department of Radiology, Wayne State UniversityFollow
Jiani Hu, Department of Radiology, Wayne State UniversityFollow
E Mark Haacke, Department of Radiology, Wayne State UniversityFollow

Document Type

Article

Abstract

Abstract

Background

Magnetic resonance imaging is a noninvasive method of evaluating embryonic development. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), based on the directional diffusivity of water molecules, is an established method of evaluating tissue structure. Yet embryonic motion degrades the in vivo acquisition of long-duration DTI. We used a dual-cooling technique to avoid motion artifact and aimed to investigate whether DTI can be used to monitor chick embryonic skeletal muscle development in ovo, and to investigate the correlation between quantitative DTI parameters fractional anisotropy (FA) and fiber length and quantitative histologic parameters fiber area percentage (FiberArea%) and limb length.

Results

From 84 normally developing chick embryos, 5 were randomly chosen each day from incubation days 5 to 18 and scanned using 3.0 Tesla magnetic resonance imaging. A dual-cooling technique is used before and during imaging. Eggs were cracked for making histological specimen after imaging. 3 eggs were serially imaged from days 5 to 18. We show that skeletal muscle fibers can be tracked in hind limb in DTI beginning with incubation day 8. Our data shows a good positive correlation between quantitative DTI and histologic parameters (FA vs FiberArea%: r= 0.943, p<0.0001; Fiber_length vs Limb_length: r=0.974, p<0.0001). The result of tracked fibers in DTI during incubation corresponds to the development of chick embryonic skeletal muscle as reported in the literature.

Conclusion

Diffusion tensor imaging can provide a noninvasive means of evaluating skeletal muscle development in ovo.

Disciplines

Poultry or Avian Science | Radiology

Recommended Citation

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