[Visualization research of three-dimensional microstructure of rabbit sciatic nerve bundles by micro-CT].

Objective: To realize the visualization of three-dimensional microstructure of rabbit sciatic nerve bundles by micro-CT and three-dimensional visualization software Mimics17.0.

Methods: The sciatic nerve tissues from 6 New Zealand rabbits were divided into 2 groups ( n =3), and the sciatic nerve tissues were stained by 1% (group A) and 5% (group B) Lugol solution respectively. After staining for 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, 3.0, and 3.5 hours, the imaging changes of specimens were observed by light microscope and micro-CT. The clear micro-CT images were exported to the Mimics software to complete the visualization of three-dimensional microstructure of rabbit sciatic nerve according to three-dimensional reconstruction tool.

Results: The clear three-dimensional microstructure images could be observed in group A at 2.5 hours after staining and in group B at 1.5 hours after staining by light microscope and micro-CT. The sciatic nerve of New Zealand rabbits were divides into 3 bundles and each of them was relatively fixed. There was no obvious crossing or mergers between each bundle. The cross-sectional area of each bundle was (0.425±0.013), (0.038±0.007), and (0.242±0.026) mm 2 respectively. The digital model could clearly reflect the microstructure of the sciatic nerve at all cross sections.

Conclusion: The internal structure of New Zealand rabbits sciatic nerve can be clearly reflected by micro-CT scanning. It provides a reliable method for establishing a nerve microstructure database with large amount specimens.