A new technique for the quantitative analysis of cranial suture biology

Abstract Objective: Our objective was to assess the ability of the microcomputed tomography scanner to correctly image normal and synostosed cranial sutures at the ultrastructural level. Design and methods: Two specimens of coronal sutures were collected from operative specimens. After appropriate preparation, histological sections were obtained and stained with toluene blue for evaluation. Representative histological sections were compared to microcomputed tomography slices. Results and conclusions: With microcomputed tomography, we successfully imaged one normal and one synostosed human coronal suture and performed a quantitative analysis of these specimens. Microcomputed tomography scanning was found to be a highly accurate imaging device for the evaluation of cranial suture development. Microcomputed tomography offers three-dimensional imaging at the microscopic level and allows for rapid quantitative analysis of bone architecture, including several measurements unavailable through histologic analysis...