Conventional histological examination requires irreversible sectioning, consuming tissue and precluding three-dimensional analysis. This limitation is particularly problematic for archival specimens and forensic investigations. Scanning acoustic microscopy (SAM) enables non-destructive tissue visualization through acoustic impedance contrast without sectioning or staining, offering a complementary approach to conventional histology. We investigated mid-frequency (50 MHz) SAM imaging of intact, formalin-fixed human tissue blocks representing diverse anatomical structures, including skull table, pineal gland, cerebellum, and scalp. SAM successfully delineated histologically meaningful microarchitectural features, including trilaminar skull organization with diploic channels; pineal calcifications (corpora arenacea); cerebellar cortical lamination with identifiable Purkinje cells; and stratified scalp architecture. Multifocal image integration and stereoscopic reconstruction enabled extended depth-of-field imaging and three-dimensional visualization of intact specimens. Corresponding hematoxylin–eosin and Masson’s trichrome histology confirmed close structural agreement with SAM-derived contrasts. This non-destructive imaging approach preserves tissue integrity while generating digital datasets suitable for volumetric reconstruction and downstream computational analysis, supporting applications in anatomical education, tissue banking, pathology training, and biomedical research.
Kim et al. (Thu,) studied this question.