Figure 2.

Volume-rendered (3D) μMRI image of normal mouse pancreas. A: Magnified view of the 2D μMRI image of a normal mouse pancreas (such as that shown in Figure 1A). B-D: 3D volume-rendered images of the boxed area in A. The color scale corresponds to the magnetic resonance signal intensity (green to red, low to high intensity). Cylindrical tube-like and planar sheet-like features can be identified in the high-intensity region of the volume image, in addition to islets, which appear ellipsoid. Note that these tubes and sheet-like features, both of which appear as high-intensity regions, cannot be clearly distinguished in the 2D μMRI image. B: A sheet (blue and cyan arrows) is seen underneath islets (red arrows). A tube appears in the bottom right corner (gold arrow). The sheet was measured to be ∼116 μm thick along the y axis (cyan arrows) and ∼298 μm in depth along the z axis (blue arrows). The total depth of this sheet through the tissue along the z axis (not shown) is ∼1400 μm. C: 3D volume-rendered image of the tube (gold arrow) shown in B in a different location with surrounding islets (red arrows). The diameter of the tube is ∼88 μm. The total length of the tube when tracked through the tissue (not shown) was measured to be ∼5850 μm. D: 3D volume-rendered image of a tube with a high-intensity lumen (red) and the lower-intensity wall (green). Note the clear distinction in morphology between the tube and the planar sheet.