Targeted Imaging of Damaged Bone in Vivo with Gemstone Spectral Computed Tomography

Achieving high-resolution imaging of bone-cracks and even monitoring them in live organisms are of great significance for understanding their extreme biological effects but remain quite challenging, especially for adopting commercial imaging systems. Herein, we explore the use of the clinical gemstone spectral computed tomography (GSCT) technique as a powerful tool for targeted imaging of bone-cracks in rats via intramuscularly administrating crack-targeted ytterbium-based contrast agents (CAs). Material density images of GSCT reveal that bone-cracks targeted with CAs can be successfully differentiated from healthy bone based on their different X-ray attenuation characteristics, giving GSCT a distinct advantage over conventional CT. More importantly, the superior imaging capability of GSCT allows us to real-time monitor the targeting and accumulation of CAs toward bone-crack in vivo. These results highlight that clinical GSCT, combined with ytterbium-based CAs, provides a promising opportunity for understanding bone-related diseases in the future.