Table 1.

Common Three-Dimensional Imaging Techniques Available for Analysis of Engineered Tissues

3D imaging technique	Spatial resolution	Imaging depth	Soft tissue contrast	Calcified tissue contrast
Confocal microscopy	Excellent	Poor	Good	Poor
Optical coherence tomography (OCT)	Good	Poor	Good	Poor
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)	Poor	Excellent	Excellent	Poor
Ultrasound	Good	Excellent	Poor	Good
Photoacoustic imaging	Good	Good	Excellent	Poor
Absorption-based X-ray CT	Excellent	Excellent	Poor	Excellent

3D, three-dimensional; CT, computed tomography.