Three-dimensional reconstruction of light microscopy image sections: present and future

Abstract

Three-dimensional (3D) image reconstruction technologies can reveal previously hidden microstructures in human tissue. However, the lack of ideal, non-destructive cross-sectional imaging techniques is still a problem. Despite some drawbacks, histological sectioning remains one of the most powerful methods for accurate high-resolution representation of tissue structures. Computer technologies can produce 3D representations of interesting human tissue and organs that have been serial-sectioned, dyed or stained, imaged, and segmented for 3D visualization. 3D reconstruction also has great potential in the fields of tissue engineering and 3D printing. This article outlines the most common methods for 3D tissue section reconstruction. We describe the most important academic concepts in this field, and provide critical explanations and comparisons. We also note key steps in the reconstruction procedures, and highlight recent progress in the development of new reconstruction methods.

Keywords

microtomy / 3D imaging / computer-assisted image processing / 3D printing / tissue scaffold

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Acknowledgements

This paper was supported by a grant from the National High Technology Research and Development Program of China (863 program) (No. 2012AA020504) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Key Program) (No. 81027004). We thank the authors in our list of references for their excellent work, which led to the main content and structure of this review.

Yuzhen Wang, Rui Xu, Gaoxing Luo, and Jun Wu declare that they have no conflict of interest. All procedures followed were in accordance with the ethical standards of the responsible committee on human experimentation (institutional and national) and with the Helsinki Declaration of 1975, as revised in 2008.

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