Volumetric Imaging of Lung Tissue at Micrometer Resolution: Clinical Applications of Micro-CT for the Diagnosis of Pulmonary Diseases
Andreana Bompoti,
Andreas S. Papazoglou,
Dimitrios V. Moysidis,
Nikolaos Otountzidis,
Efstratios Karagiannidis,
Nikolaos Stalikas,
Eleftherios Panteris,
Vijayakumar Ganesh,
Thomas Sanctuary,
Christos Arvanitidis,
Georgios Sianos,
James S. Michaelson,
Markus D. Herrmann
Affiliations
Andreana Bompoti
Department of Radiology, Peterborough City Hospital, Northwest Anglia NHS Foundation Trust, Peterborough PE3 9GZ, UK
Andreas S. Papazoglou
First Department of Cardiology, AHEPA University Hospital, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, St. Kiriakidi 1, 54636 Thessaloniki, Greece
Dimitrios V. Moysidis
First Department of Cardiology, AHEPA University Hospital, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, St. Kiriakidi 1, 54636 Thessaloniki, Greece
Nikolaos Otountzidis
First Department of Cardiology, AHEPA University Hospital, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, St. Kiriakidi 1, 54636 Thessaloniki, Greece
Efstratios Karagiannidis
First Department of Cardiology, AHEPA University Hospital, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, St. Kiriakidi 1, 54636 Thessaloniki, Greece
Nikolaos Stalikas
First Department of Cardiology, AHEPA University Hospital, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, St. Kiriakidi 1, 54636 Thessaloniki, Greece
Eleftherios Panteris
Biomic_AUTh, Center for Interdisciplinary Research and Innovation (CIRI-AUTH), Balkan Center B1.4, 10th km Thessaloniki-Thermi Rd., P.O. Box 8318, GR 57001 Thessaloniki, Greece
Vijayakumar Ganesh
Department of Radiology, Medway NHS Foundation Trust, Kent ME7 5NY, UK
Thomas Sanctuary
Respiratory Department, Medway NHS Foundation Trust, Kent ME7 5NY, UK
Christos Arvanitidis
Hellenic Centre for Marine Research (HCMR), Institute of Marine Biology, Biotechnology and Aquaculture (IMBBC), 70013 Heraklion, Greece
Georgios Sianos
First Department of Cardiology, AHEPA University Hospital, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, St. Kiriakidi 1, 54636 Thessaloniki, Greece
James S. Michaelson
Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
Markus D. Herrmann
Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
Micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) is a promising novel medical imaging modality that allows for non-destructive volumetric imaging of surgical tissue specimens at high spatial resolution. The aim of this study is to provide a comprehensive assessment of the clinical applications of micro-CT for the tissue-based diagnosis of lung diseases. This scoping review was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews, aiming to include every clinical study reporting on micro-CT imaging of human lung tissues. A literature search yielded 570 candidate articles, out of which 37 were finally included in the review. Of the selected studies, 9 studies explored via micro-CT imaging the morphology and anatomy of normal human lung tissue; 21 studies investigated microanatomic pulmonary alterations due to obstructive or restrictive lung diseases, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, and cystic fibrosis; and 7 studies examined the utility of micro-CT imaging in assessing lung cancer lesions (n = 4) or in transplantation-related pulmonary alterations (n = 3). The selected studies reported that micro-CT could successfully detect several lung diseases providing three-dimensional images of greater detail and resolution than routine optical slide microscopy, and could additionally provide valuable volumetric insight in both restrictive and obstructive lung diseases. In conclusion, micro-CT-based volumetric measurements and qualitative evaluations of pulmonary tissue structures can be utilized for the clinical management of a variety of lung diseases. With micro-CT devices becoming more accessible, the technology has the potential to establish itself as a core diagnostic imaging modality in pathology and to enable integrated histopathologic and radiologic assessment of lung cancer and other lung diseases.
