Synchrotron radiation CT from the micro to nanoscale for the investigation of bone tissue

International audienceDuring the last decade, X-ray micro Computerized Tomography (CT) has become a conventional technique for the three-dimensional (3D) investigation of trabecular bone micro-architecture. Coupling micro-CT to synchrotron sources possesses significant advantages in terms of image quality and gives access to information on bone mineralization which is an important factor of bone quality. We present an overview of the investigation of bone using Synchrotron Radiation (SR) CT from the micro to the nano scale. We introduce two synchrotron CT systems developed at the ESRF based on SR parallel-beam micro-CT and magnified phase CT respectively, achieving down to submicrometric and nanometric spatial resolution. In the latter, by using phase retrieval prior to tomographic reconstruction, the system provides maps of the 3D refractive index distribution. Parallel-beam SR micro-CT has extensively been used for the analysis of trabecular or cortical bone in human or small animals with spatial resolution in the range [3-10] μm. However, the characterization of the bone properties at the cellular scale is also of major interest. At the micrometric scale, the shape, density and morphology of osteocyte lacunae can be studied on statistically representative volumes. At the nanometric scale, unprecedented 3D displays of the canaliculi network have been obtained on fields of views including a large number of interconnected osteocyte lacunae. Finally SR magnified phase CT provides a detailed analysis of the lacuno-canalicular network and in addition information on the organization of the collagen fibers. These findings open new perspectives for three-dimensional quantitative assessment of bone tissue at the cellular scale