Nanoscale holographic tomography of heart tissue with x-ray waveguide optics

Abstract

In this work we present x-ray phase-contrast tomography of heart tissue from mouse, combining computed tomography (CT) scans with laboratory and synchrotron radiation. The work serves as a proof-of-concept that the cyto-architecture and in particular the myofibril orientation can be assessed in three dimensions (3D) by phase-contrast CT. We demonstrate the synergistic use of laboratory <i>&mu;</i>-CT and of the high resolution synchrotron setup based on waveguide optics. Details on preparation, instrumentation and analysis are given, as a state of the art reference for heart tissue tomography, and as a starting point for further progress.