The purpose of the study was to discover a way to study the internal structure and evolution of human embryos noninvasively. The human embryo was stained with phosphotungstic acid solution (PTA) in ethanol (EPTA) and scanned using a micro computed tomography (micro-CT) scanner. Using appropriate software, a three-dimensional image of the embryo was created, which could be further exploited. The methodology described could be used for the non-destructive examination of the internal structure of the human embryo, and the resulting data can be used as a resource for medical students, gynaecologists, and paediatricians.

CEITEC BUT Central European Institute of Technology Brno University of Technology Technická 3058 10 616 00 Brno Czech Republic

Division of Anthropology Department of Anatomy Faculty of Medicine Masaryk University Brno Kamenice 3 625 00 Brno Czech Republic

Faculty of Mechanical Engineering Brno University of Technology Technická 2896 2 619 69 Brno Czech Republic

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3D atlas of the human fetal chondrocranium in the middle trimester

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