Figure 3.

Comparison between lung tissue imaged by μCT and light microscopy for conventional histology. The lung biopsy sample has been taken from a noninvolved site from a patient with lung cancer. A–C: The μCT slice is provided. D–F: Digitized images of the histology slide. D: The histology image is intentionally presented against a gray background to highlight the degree to which the image had to be unwrapped to fit its nondistorted state (ie, before sectioning). The comparison shows that tissue lung microstructure is clearly visible in the μCT data set at high image contrast levels, which is because of the newly developed μCT scanner that is optimized for soft tissue imaging at high spatial resolutions. Boxed areas are shown at higher magnification to the right. B, C, E, and F: Higher-magnification images for comparison of μCT imaging to the higher-resolution light microscopy histology. C and F: Arrows indicate an airway; hash marks, a blood vessel, respectively. Scale bars: 2 mm (A); 1 mm (B); 500 μm (C).