ABSTRACT
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References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 616
This chapter describes 3D cellular imaging and analysis using the technique of optical projection to-
mography microscopy (OPTM). The theory, simulation, and method of image formation of OPTM
is similar to x-ray computed tomography (CT), but images cells with light in the optical spectrum.
Instead of rotating the scanner and detector around the object being imaged, a cellular specimen
is rotated while the optical axis is fixed. By capturing a series of projection images around the
specimen, a three-dimensional (3D) image can be reconstructed. Absorption-based stains are still
the mainstay of clinical diagnosis, and thus 3D imaging based upon monochrome absorption is
the primary focus. OPTM could play a role in bringing clinical cytopathology and histopathology
into the third dimension. Advanced 3D visualization techniques and multimodal capabilities are
demonstrated, such as 3D fluorescence imaging in epi-illumination that co-registers with nuclear
chromatin morphology stained with common absorptive stains.
