Reducing soft-tissue shrinkage artefacts caused by staining with Lugol’s solution

AbstractDiffusible iodine-based contrast-enhanced computed tomography (diceCT) is progressively used in clinical and morphological research to study developmental anatomy. Lugol’s solution (Lugol) has gained interest as an effective contrast agent; however, usage is limited due to extensive soft-tissue shrinkage. The mechanism of Lugol-induced shrinkage and how to prevent it is largely unknown, hampering applications of Lugol in clinical or forensic cases where tissue shrinkage can lead to erroneous diagnostic conclusions. Shrinkage was suggested to be due to an osmotic imbalance between tissue and solution. Pilot experiments pointed to acidification of Lugol, but the relation of acidification and tissue shrinkage was not evaluated. In this study, we analyzed the relation between tissue shrinkage, osmolarity and acidification of the solution during staining. Changes in tissue volume were measured on 2D-segmented magnetic resonance and diceCT images using AMIRA software. Partial correlation and stepwise regression analysis showed that acidification of Lugol is the main cause of tissue shrinkage. To prevent acidification, we developed a buffered Lugol’s solution (B-Lugol) and showed that stabilizing its pH almost completely prevented shrinkage without affecting staining. Changing from Lugol to B-Lugol is a major improvement for clinical and morphological research and only requires a minor adaptation of the staining protocol.

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Assessing Soft-Tissue Shrinkage Estimates in Museum Specimens Imaged With Diffusible Iodine-Based Contrast-Enhanced Computed Tomography (diceCT)

Microscopy and Microanalysis ◽

10.1017/s1431927618000399 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 24 (3) ◽

pp. 284-291 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Brandon P. Hedrick ◽

Laurel Yohe ◽

Abby Vander Linden ◽

Liliana M. Dávalos ◽

Karen Sears ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Computed Tomography ◽

Soft Tissue ◽

Soft Tissues ◽

Museum Specimens ◽

Long Term Storage ◽

Contrast Enhanced ◽

Tissue Shrinkage ◽

Enhanced Computed Tomography ◽

Future Work ◽

Contrast Enhanced Computed Tomography

AbstractThe increased accessibility of soft-tissue data through diffusible iodine-based contrast-enhanced computed tomography (diceCT) enables comparative biologists to increase the taxonomic breadth of their studies with museum specimens. However, it is still unclear how soft-tissue measurements from preserved specimens reflect values from freshly collected specimens and whether diceCT preparation may affect these measurements. Here, we document and evaluate the accuracy of diceCT in museum specimens based on the soft-tissue reconstructions of brains and eyes of five bats. Based on proxies, both brains and eyes were roughly 60% of the estimated original sizes when first imaged. However, these structures did not further shrink significantly over a 4-week staining interval, and 1 week in 2.5% iodine-based solution yielded sufficient contrast for differentiating among soft-tissues. Compared to six “fresh” bat specimens imaged shortly after field collection (not fixed in ethanol), the museum specimens had significantly lower relative volumes of the eyes and brains. Variation in field preparation techniques and conditions, and long-term storage in ethanol may be the primary causes of shrinkage in museum specimens rather than diceCT staining methodology. Identifying reliable tissue-specific correction factors to adjust for the shrinkage now documented in museum specimens requires future work with larger samples.

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A Rare Case of Primary osteosarcoma of urinary bladder

Journal of Clinical Imaging Science ◽

10.4103/2156-7514.105145 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 2 ◽

pp. 82

Author(s):

Jagdeesh Kenthanahalli Siddappa ◽

Saurabh Singla ◽

Aditi Jain ◽

Ashok Kumar

Keyword(s):

Soft Tissue ◽

Urinary Bladder ◽

Soft Tissue Sarcomas ◽

Extraskeletal Osteosarcoma ◽

Primary Osteosarcoma ◽

Contrast Enhanced ◽

Enhanced Computed Tomography ◽

Contrast Enhanced Computed Tomography ◽

Tomography Scan ◽

Bladder Mass

Extraskeletal osteosarcoma is a malignant mesenchymal soft tissue tumor without attachment to the bone, and is able to produce osteoid or cartilaginous matrix. This entity accounts for 1% of all soft tissue sarcomas. Thus far, less than 35 cases of bladder osteosarcomas have been reported in the literature. These tumors are associated with very poor prognosis. We report a case of primary osteosarcoma of the urinary bladder presenting with intermittent hematuria, dysuria, and right flank pain. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography scan of the abdomen, pelvis, and chest revealed a bladder mass and pulmonary metastases with specks of calcification.

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