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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Vet. Sci.
Sec. Veterinary Imaging
Volume 11 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fvets.2024.1450572

Longitudinal volumetric analysis of in ovo compartments in the chicken egg using ultra-high-field magnetic resonance imaging

Provisionally accepted
Felix Streckenbach Felix Streckenbach 1*Hanna Schön Hanna Schön 1,2Julia König Julia König 3Marcus Frank Marcus Frank 4,5Inga Langner Inga Langner 6Oliver Stachs Oliver Stachs 5,7Anika Jonitz-Heincke Anika Jonitz-Heincke 5,8Soenke Langner Soenke Langner 1Tobias Lindner Tobias Lindner 1,9Jana Schätzel Jana Schätzel 7
  • 1 Institute for Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Pediatric and Neuroradiology, Rostock University Medical Center, Rostock, Germany
  • 2 Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology, School of Medicine and Health, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
  • 3 Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care, University Hospital Rostock, Rostock, Germany
  • 4 Medical Biology and Electron Microscopy Centre, Rostock University Medical Center, Rostock, Germany
  • 5 Department Life, Light and Matter, University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany
  • 6 Department of Orthopedics and Orthopedic Surgery, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
  • 7 Department of Ophthalmology, Rostock University Medical Center, Rostock, Germany
  • 8 Biomechanics and Implant Technology Research Laboratory, Department of Orthopedics, Rostock University Medical Center, Rostock, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany
  • 9 Core Facility Multimodal Small Animal Imaging, Rostock University Medical Center, Rostock, Germany

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Introduction: The chicken egg with its in ovo compartments is a widely used and popular animal model for experimental studies. The aim of this study was to quantify the volumes of the yolk/yolk sac, amniotic fluid and chicken embryo in ovo using non-invasive ultra-high-field magnetic resonance imaging (UHF-MRI). Material and Methods: In total sixty-four chicken eggs were examined at 7 T acquiring T2-weighted anatomical images of the entire egg from developmental day 1 to 16 (D1-D16). Each developmental day four eggs were scanned once and the above-mentioned volumes were quantitatively assessed.Results: UHF-MRI allowed in ovo quantitative assessment of the yolk/yolk sac from D1 and of the embryo from D5 onwards. The volume of the yolk/yolk sac first increased between D1 and D6 before it consistently decreased until D14. The amniotic cavity could be detected on D6 with an increasing fluid volume until D14. The embryo grew until D16.Discussion: UHF-MRI allows in vivo assessment of embryonic development and provides noninvasive longitudinal information regarding volume of the yolk/yolk sac, amniotic fluid and chicken embryo. The method of investigation outlined here may provide the basis for a well standardizable model of biomedical research in the developing chicken embryo.

    Keywords: in ovo cavities, development, ultra-high field MRI, animal model, chicken embryo

    Received: 17 Jun 2024; Accepted: 22 Nov 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Streckenbach, Schön, König, Frank, Langner, Stachs, Jonitz-Heincke, Langner, Lindner and Schätzel. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Felix Streckenbach, Institute for Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Pediatric and Neuroradiology, Rostock University Medical Center, Rostock, Germany

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