To explore a new method for visualization and morphologic study of intraosseous microvessels, measure the main parameters of the vesselsand evaluate the reliability of this model.

Abdominal aorta microfill perfusion in 10 New Zealand white rabbits were used. The specimens of the lower femur were fixed and decalcified sequentially, then the blood vessels were analyzed by microCT scan and three-dimensional reconstruction. The microvessels distribution and morphology of the bone were observed under the background of fluorescence by making the specimen into slices with a thickness of 300 μm. The main parameters of blood vessels were measured and evaluated.

The structures of the intraosseous microvessels was clearly reconstructed in three dimensions by decalcification which can reduce the interference of the CT value of bone tissue to the CT value of the perfusion fluid. The distribution and morphology of the microvessels in the bone tissue were well displayed in the thick tissue slices in the fluorescence background imaging. There was no statistical difference in the number of blood vessels, mean vessel diameter and vascular percentage of the unit area between the results of microCT and histology (P=0.075, 0.921, 0.661). In histological Histology, the visual minimum blood vessel diameter reached the level of capillaries, significantly less than the results of microCT [(9.03±1.14) μm vs. (12.61±2.01) μm, P=0.038].

MicroCT scan three-dimensional reconstruction combined with thick slice fluorescence background imaging can be used as a reliable method for the visualization and morphological study of intraosseous microvessels.

Bone; Microvessel; Visualization; Histology; MicroCT