3D Reconstruction of Serially Sectioned Images from a Massive Collection of Human Embryo Specimens and Development of a Data Retrieval and Presentation System

Abstract

In order to elucidate the process of morphological formation in the development of human embryos, it is useful to study three-dimensional (3D) images. We performed 3D reconstruction of serially sectioned images from a massive collection of human embryo specimens at Kyoto University that had been acquired with no preparation for 3D reconstruction. For such massive collections of sectioned specimens, it is difficult to avoid problems such as deficits, damage, and processing errors. Therefore, the reconstruction procedure was performed with these problems taken into consideration. We have also developed a system for retrieving and presenting such 3D reconstructed images.