Computed tomography method for characterising the zebrafish spine
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The zebrafish is widely used in research due in part to its readily manipulable genome. Zebrafish models of spinal deformities including scoliosis were developed recently. However, the methods used to assess the spine in these models vary across studies. The primary objective of this study was to investigate the feasibility and modalities of local and regional spine structure evaluation by micro-CT in the normal zebrafish. The secondary objectives were to assess the feasibility of spinal angle measurements in normal zebrafish subjected to external stresses designed to mimic spinal deformities, to determine normal angle values in the coronal and sagittal planes, and to detail the micro-CT features of the zebrafish spine.
HYPOTHESIS: Micro-CT is an effective and reproducible tool for determining orthopaedic parameters to characterise the zebrafish spine.
MATERIAL AND METHODS: Two observers conducted preliminary analyses on 15 zebrafish including 12 adults (aged 18 months) and 3 juveniles (aged 12 weeks). For the analyses, 6 of the animals were placed in an artificial position to mimic a scoliosis spinal deformity. Micro-CT (Quantum FX Caliper™) was used with 59μm resolution and a 30-mm field of view. Image processing was with RadiAnt DICOM Viewer™ software.
RESULTS: We defined several assessment planes on the 3D micro-CT reconstructions to measure orthopaedic parameters in the sagittal plane (thoracic and maximal kyphotic curves with their apices, length of the…
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