The microCATยฎ II known as CT-scan is a high-resolution, in vivo x-ray computed tomography (CT) system for laboratory animal studies. The objective of this study was to determine whether CT scanning is a suitable procedure for use in fetal skeletal evaluation and compare it to the traditional staining procedure using Alizarin red. We have scanned intact, non eviscerated, mouse, rat and rabbit fetuses and analyzed the images in our lab for skeletal abnormalities. The images were analyzed by the technical staff that routinely performs fetal evaluation at MPI Research. The advantages of this technique over the staining procedure included, but are not limited to:
- No skinning and evisceration is necessary 2. Efficiency 3. Easy and flexible visual evaluation 4. Ability to perform bone measurements (length, thickness) 5. Improved documentation and data sharing 6. Lack of artifacts that are caused during the staining procedure According to the results achieved, we conclude that skeletal evaluation by CT-scan is better than the staining procedure by Alizarin red in quality, accuracy and offers increased visibility of the images. It also facilitates peer-reviewing of the data and provides good images for presentation.