3D Structural Information of Soft Tissues Using Small Angle Light Scattering

Small angle light scattering (SALS) is a extensively utilized technique for the rapid quantification of the organization and structure of native fibrous soft tissues. In the present work, we developed a method to extend serial histological sections to obtain 3D distribution architectural information. This technique allows for rapid quantification and study of general trends of architectural information over large volume or areas of tissue and is beneficial to study highly heterogeneous tissue where changes in architecture, due to pathologies or stress may induce complex regional changes. An important clinical example is learning the degree of organization of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) tissue. When studying the organization trend in histological sections of AAA tissue, conclusions from the SALS 2D images cannot be drawn due to the high variability of organization from section to section. This is common to diseased tissues due to the altered structure that is otherwise organized in healthy tissue.