High-Throughput Analysis of New Bone Formation and Bone Substitutes After Maxillary Sinus Floor Elevation Using Synchrotron Radiation Micro-Computed Tomography.

This study addresses the usability of synchrotron radiation micro-computed tomography (SR-muCT) for the high-throughput examination of bone biopsy specimens harvested from maxillary sinus floor elevation (MSFE) patients. The experimental procedure devised for efficient data acquisition and volume analysis of bone biopsy specimens of sinus lift using SR-muCT is presented. The measuring was done in approximately one minute per field of view; 3D image visualization and volume analysis could be performed in one hour. Six months after the sinus floor augmentation procedure, bone biopsy specimens were collected. Six specimens were studied. The percentages of bone measured by 3D volumetric analysis using SR-muCT and 2D area analysis using conventional histomorphometry were compared. A specimen was measured in any cross section, and the analysis was readily extended to the entire volume of the specimen. Significant differences between the 2D and the 3D measurement results were revealed. Based on our observations, we report structural inhomogeneity in the grafted volume of the MSFE site. The new bone volume assessed by SR-muCT correlates with the percentage of bone as assessed by conventional 2D histologic photomicrographs. SR-muCT is thus a reliable technique to determine the volume of newly formed bone at the MSFE.