Single fiber curvature for muscle impairment assessment: Phase contrast imaging of stroke-induced animals

There are technical challenges in imaging studies that can three-dimensionally (3D) analyze a single fiber (SF) to observe the functionality of the entire muscle after stroke. This study proposes a 3D assessment technique that only segments the SF of the right stroke-induced soleus muscle of a gerbil using synchrotron radiation x-ray microcomputed tomography (SR-mu CT), which is capable of muscle structure analysis. Curvature damage in the SF of the left soleus muscle (impaired) progressed at 7-day intervals after the stroke in the control; particularly on the 7 days (1 week) and 14 days (2 weeks), as observed through visualization analysis. At 2 weeks, the SF volume was significantly reduced in the control impaired group (p = .033), and was significantly less than that in the non-impaired group (p = .009). We expect that animal post-stroke studies will improve the basic field of rehabilitation therapy by diagnosing the degree of SF curvature.

Automated summary

This study proposes a 3D assessment technique using synchrotron radiation x-ray microcomputed tomography to analyze the functionality and curvature damage of a single fiber in a stroke-induced muscle. The results show that the curvature damage in the impaired muscle progresses after the stroke, and the SF volume is significantly reduced. This study has important implications for the field of rehabilitation therapy.