Microdissection of Human Esophagogastric Junction Wall with Phase-contrast X-ray CT Imaging

Abstract

Phase-contrast x-ray imaging using an x-ray interferometer has great potential to reveal the structures inside soft tissues, because the sensitivity of this method to hydrogen, carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen is about 1000 times higher than that of the absorption-contrast x-ray method. In this study, we used phase-contrast X-ray CT to investigate human resected esophagogastric junction. This technology revealed the three-layer structure of the esophagogastric junction wall-mucous, submucosa and muscular layers. The mucous and muscular layers were clearly separated by a loose submucosa layer with a honeycomb appearance. The shape of the mucous and muscular layers was intact. The boundary between the mucous and submucosa layers was distinct, as was the border of the muscular and submucosa layers. The surface of the esophagogastric junction was displayed clearly through 3D reconstruction. The technology might be helpful in the diagnosis of esophagogastric junction lesion, especially for the early adenocarcinoma.The esophagogastric junction (OGJ) is located between the oesophagus and the stomach. It is a highly specialized anatomical region that is often difficult to understand 1 . The esophagogastric junction is important that backflow of stomach secretions into the oesophagus is controlled at the OGJ opening only transiently to allow passage of the swallowed food into the stomach. The diaphragmatic hiatus, through which the oesophagus passes at the OGJ, has a role in this valvular mechanism 2,3 . Its dynamic action is dependant upon the intrinsic and extrinsic effects of its own anatomical structure and its position with respect to the surrounding organs in this region of the body 4 .Several structures are important in maintaining a barrier at the OGJ. The lower oesophageal sphincter (LOS) forms part of the OGJ structure. The intrinsic muscles of the distal oesophagus and the sling fibers of the proximal stomach make up the internal mechanism structures of the LOS. The muscles of the diaphragm hat connect to the OGJ make up the crural diaphragm and this constitutes the external LOS mechanism structures. The tissue that connects the distal oesophagus to the crural diaphragm is known as the phreno-oesophageal ligament 5 .The OGJ can be distinguished from the body of the oesophagus by its behavior pattern. There is an increase in the tone of the circular muscle in this region. The sphincter relaxes in response to a swallow and this usually precedes the arrival of a contraction wave travelling down the oesophagus. This phase of relaxation is followed by a short-lasting elevation of pressure above resting values. In recent years

Microstructure evidence of rice lodging resistance based on quantitative X‐ray microtomography

“…Synchrotron radiation X‐ray can achieve non‐destructive, high‐resolution 3D imaging of samples (Chen et al., 2012; Zhang et al., 2015). Compared with previous botany research (mainly in 2D analysis), the detection process significantly reduces the damage to the sample itself and retains the sample's authenticity (Nugraha, Verboven, Janssen, Wang, & Nicolaï, 2019).…”

“…Importantly, it can achieve 3D imaging, which is conducive to discovering potential microstructures, and quantitative analysis can also be performed (Livingston, Tuong, Nogueira, & Sinclair, 2019). At present, this method has achieved remarkable results in the fields of soil science (Yu, Wu, Fu, Brookes, & Lu, 2016), biomedicine (Zhang et al., 2015), and materials science (Zhang et al., 2015). However, the application of this method in crop science is still poorly understood.…”

“…Therefore, 3D analysis is needed to reflect the stress state of the real structure of rice. The X‐ray computed tomography of Shanghai synchrotron radiation facility is a kind of equipment used for quantitative characterization of the internal structure, with high spatial and contrast resolution, and is fast time‐resolved (Chenglin et al., 2014; Zhang et al., 2015). It can realize non‐destructive, high resolution 3D imaging of samples, and can also realize coaxial phase‐contrast imaging, which has broad development space in the field of environmental science and botany (Guelpa, du Plessis, & Manley, 2016; Zong et al., 2017).…”