Facility Details

The UConn Health Center MicroCT Imaging Facility provides core services of three-dimensional imaging and quantitation of tissue structure using high-resolution X-ray computed microtomography (microCT). Resolution of structural features below 10 um allows for accurate and precise evaluation of trabecular and cortical bone architecture, density, and porosity of bones from mice, including femora, tibiae, vertebrae, humeri, ulnae, calvaria, mandibles, teeth, and ectopic bone formation. Data obtained from microCT analyses are helpful toward identifying and quantitating definitive phenotypes in transgenic and knockout mouse models, as well as the skeletal effects of hormonal deficiency (e.g., ovariectomy) and pharmaceutical agents. Hydroxyapatite-phantom calibrated measurements of true volumetric density (mg/cm^3) provide accurate measurements of mineralization shifts in these animal models, complementing rapid imaging modalities afforded by micro-DXA (Piximus) and radiography (Faxitron), which are also available.