Three-dimensional hard and soft tissue imaging of the human cochlea by scanning laser optical tomography (SLOT)

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleResearchpeer review

Authors

  • Nadine Tinne
  • Georgios C. Antonopoulos
  • Saleh Mohebbi
  • José Andrade
  • Lena Nolte
  • Heiko Meyer
  • Alexander Heisterkamp
  • Omid Majdani
  • Tammo Ripken

Research Organisations

External Research Organisations

  • Laser Zentrum Hannover e.V. (LZH)
  • Hannover Medical School (MHH)
  • NIFE - Lower Saxony Centre for Biomedical Engineering, Implant Research and Development
  • Cluster of Excellence Hearing4all
View graph of relations

Details

Original languageEnglish
Article numbere0184069
JournalPLoS ONE
Volume12
Issue number9
Publication statusPublished - 5 Sept 2017

Abstract

The present study focuses on the application of scanning laser optical tomography (SLOT) for visualization of anatomical structures inside the human cochlea ex vivo. SLOT is a laser-based highly efficient microscopy technique which allows for tomographic imaging of the internal structure of transparent specimens. Thus, in the field of otology this technique is best convenient for an ex vivo study of the inner ear anatomy. For this purpose, the preparation before imaging comprises decalcification, dehydration as well as optical clearing of the cochlea samples in toto. Here, we demonstrate results of SLOT imaging visualizing hard and soft tissue structures with an optical resolution of down to 15 μm using extinction and autofluorescence as contrast mechanisms. Furthermore, the internal structure can be analyzed nondestructively and quantitatively in detail by sectioning of the three-dimensional datasets. The method of X-ray Micro Computed Tomography (μCT) has been previously applied to explanted cochlea and is solely based on absorption contrast. An advantage of SLOT is that it uses visible light for image formation and thus provides a variety of contrast mechanisms known from other light microscopy techniques, such as fluorescence or scattering. We show that SLOT data is consistent with μCT anatomical data and provides additional information by using fluorescence. We demonstrate that SLOT is applicable for cochlea with metallic cochlear implants (CI) that would lead to significant artifacts in μCT imaging. In conclusion, the present study demonstrates the capability of SLOT for resolution visualization of cleared human cochleae ex vivo using multiple contrast mechanisms and lays the foundation for a broad variety of additional studies.

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Cite this

Three-dimensional hard and soft tissue imaging of the human cochlea by scanning laser optical tomography (SLOT). / Tinne, Nadine; Antonopoulos, Georgios C.; Mohebbi, Saleh et al.
In: PLoS ONE, Vol. 12, No. 9, e0184069, 05.09.2017.

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleResearchpeer review

Tinne, N, Antonopoulos, GC, Mohebbi, S, Andrade, J, Nolte, L, Meyer, H, Heisterkamp, A, Majdani, O & Ripken, T 2017, 'Three-dimensional hard and soft tissue imaging of the human cochlea by scanning laser optical tomography (SLOT)', PLoS ONE, vol. 12, no. 9, e0184069. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0184069
Tinne, N., Antonopoulos, G. C., Mohebbi, S., Andrade, J., Nolte, L., Meyer, H., Heisterkamp, A., Majdani, O., & Ripken, T. (2017). Three-dimensional hard and soft tissue imaging of the human cochlea by scanning laser optical tomography (SLOT). PLoS ONE, 12(9), Article e0184069. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0184069
Tinne N, Antonopoulos GC, Mohebbi S, Andrade J, Nolte L, Meyer H et al. Three-dimensional hard and soft tissue imaging of the human cochlea by scanning laser optical tomography (SLOT). PLoS ONE. 2017 Sept 5;12(9):e0184069. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0184069
Tinne, Nadine ; Antonopoulos, Georgios C. ; Mohebbi, Saleh et al. / Three-dimensional hard and soft tissue imaging of the human cochlea by scanning laser optical tomography (SLOT). In: PLoS ONE. 2017 ; Vol. 12, No. 9.
Download
@article{90bfeeac28ab4f4b86b79c3975f55659,
title = "Three-dimensional hard and soft tissue imaging of the human cochlea by scanning laser optical tomography (SLOT)",
abstract = "The present study focuses on the application of scanning laser optical tomography (SLOT) for visualization of anatomical structures inside the human cochlea ex vivo. SLOT is a laser-based highly efficient microscopy technique which allows for tomographic imaging of the internal structure of transparent specimens. Thus, in the field of otology this technique is best convenient for an ex vivo study of the inner ear anatomy. For this purpose, the preparation before imaging comprises decalcification, dehydration as well as optical clearing of the cochlea samples in toto. Here, we demonstrate results of SLOT imaging visualizing hard and soft tissue structures with an optical resolution of down to 15 μm using extinction and autofluorescence as contrast mechanisms. Furthermore, the internal structure can be analyzed nondestructively and quantitatively in detail by sectioning of the three-dimensional datasets. The method of X-ray Micro Computed Tomography (μCT) has been previously applied to explanted cochlea and is solely based on absorption contrast. An advantage of SLOT is that it uses visible light for image formation and thus provides a variety of contrast mechanisms known from other light microscopy techniques, such as fluorescence or scattering. We show that SLOT data is consistent with μCT anatomical data and provides additional information by using fluorescence. We demonstrate that SLOT is applicable for cochlea with metallic cochlear implants (CI) that would lead to significant artifacts in μCT imaging. In conclusion, the present study demonstrates the capability of SLOT for resolution visualization of cleared human cochleae ex vivo using multiple contrast mechanisms and lays the foundation for a broad variety of additional studies.",
author = "Nadine Tinne and Antonopoulos, {Georgios C.} and Saleh Mohebbi and Jos{\'e} Andrade and Lena Nolte and Heiko Meyer and Alexander Heisterkamp and Omid Majdani and Tammo Ripken",
year = "2017",
month = sep,
day = "5",
doi = "10.1371/journal.pone.0184069",
language = "English",
volume = "12",
journal = "PLoS ONE",
issn = "1932-6203",
publisher = "Public Library of Science",
number = "9",

}

Download

TY - JOUR

T1 - Three-dimensional hard and soft tissue imaging of the human cochlea by scanning laser optical tomography (SLOT)

AU - Tinne, Nadine

AU - Antonopoulos, Georgios C.

AU - Mohebbi, Saleh

AU - Andrade, José

AU - Nolte, Lena

AU - Meyer, Heiko

AU - Heisterkamp, Alexander

AU - Majdani, Omid

AU - Ripken, Tammo

PY - 2017/9/5

Y1 - 2017/9/5

N2 - The present study focuses on the application of scanning laser optical tomography (SLOT) for visualization of anatomical structures inside the human cochlea ex vivo. SLOT is a laser-based highly efficient microscopy technique which allows for tomographic imaging of the internal structure of transparent specimens. Thus, in the field of otology this technique is best convenient for an ex vivo study of the inner ear anatomy. For this purpose, the preparation before imaging comprises decalcification, dehydration as well as optical clearing of the cochlea samples in toto. Here, we demonstrate results of SLOT imaging visualizing hard and soft tissue structures with an optical resolution of down to 15 μm using extinction and autofluorescence as contrast mechanisms. Furthermore, the internal structure can be analyzed nondestructively and quantitatively in detail by sectioning of the three-dimensional datasets. The method of X-ray Micro Computed Tomography (μCT) has been previously applied to explanted cochlea and is solely based on absorption contrast. An advantage of SLOT is that it uses visible light for image formation and thus provides a variety of contrast mechanisms known from other light microscopy techniques, such as fluorescence or scattering. We show that SLOT data is consistent with μCT anatomical data and provides additional information by using fluorescence. We demonstrate that SLOT is applicable for cochlea with metallic cochlear implants (CI) that would lead to significant artifacts in μCT imaging. In conclusion, the present study demonstrates the capability of SLOT for resolution visualization of cleared human cochleae ex vivo using multiple contrast mechanisms and lays the foundation for a broad variety of additional studies.

AB - The present study focuses on the application of scanning laser optical tomography (SLOT) for visualization of anatomical structures inside the human cochlea ex vivo. SLOT is a laser-based highly efficient microscopy technique which allows for tomographic imaging of the internal structure of transparent specimens. Thus, in the field of otology this technique is best convenient for an ex vivo study of the inner ear anatomy. For this purpose, the preparation before imaging comprises decalcification, dehydration as well as optical clearing of the cochlea samples in toto. Here, we demonstrate results of SLOT imaging visualizing hard and soft tissue structures with an optical resolution of down to 15 μm using extinction and autofluorescence as contrast mechanisms. Furthermore, the internal structure can be analyzed nondestructively and quantitatively in detail by sectioning of the three-dimensional datasets. The method of X-ray Micro Computed Tomography (μCT) has been previously applied to explanted cochlea and is solely based on absorption contrast. An advantage of SLOT is that it uses visible light for image formation and thus provides a variety of contrast mechanisms known from other light microscopy techniques, such as fluorescence or scattering. We show that SLOT data is consistent with μCT anatomical data and provides additional information by using fluorescence. We demonstrate that SLOT is applicable for cochlea with metallic cochlear implants (CI) that would lead to significant artifacts in μCT imaging. In conclusion, the present study demonstrates the capability of SLOT for resolution visualization of cleared human cochleae ex vivo using multiple contrast mechanisms and lays the foundation for a broad variety of additional studies.

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85028922735&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1371/journal.pone.0184069

DO - 10.1371/journal.pone.0184069

M3 - Article

C2 - 28873437

AN - SCOPUS:85028922735

VL - 12

JO - PLoS ONE

JF - PLoS ONE

SN - 1932-6203

IS - 9

M1 - e0184069

ER -