Micro-CT in small animal and specimen imaging

Laboratory systems for microscopic computed tomography (micro-CT) have recently evolved from specialized prototype tools to become essential components of many research laboratories. The availability of commercial systems with almost microscopic resolution and the capability to image live animals has opened up entirely new applications for micro-CT in laboratory investigation. This review describes the technical aspects of micro-CT and highlights some current research applications. Micro-CT has the potential to replace serial histology as the reference standard in many in vitro studies, and provides a practical approach to obtain quantitative information during some longitudinal investigations in vivo.