Motion-artifact-free in vivo imaging utilizing narcotized avian embryos in ovo.

The chick embryo in ovo is a well-accessible and economical in vivo model, but its use in molecular imaging has been limited because of motion artifacts on resulting images. The purpose of this study was to develop a method using narcotics to inhibit motility and to perform motion-artifact-free imaging of living chick embryos in ovo. Chick embryos in ovo were narcotized using three different narcotics: isoflurane, 2,2,2-tribromoethanol, and urethane/α-chloralose. Narcotized embryos were imaged using micro-computed tomography (microCT) at days 10-18 of incubation, and the resulting images were analyzed for reduction of motion artifacts. All three anesthetics could be used for anesthetizing living chick embryos in ovo thus allowing the acquisition of motion-artifact-free images. Our experiments revealed that isoflurane is the best-suited narcotic for single and repeated applications to image living chick embryos in ovo.