University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna Microscopic dual-energy computed tomography (microDECT) imaging of animal tissues: the colour of X-rays In this view article, we present potential applications of laboratory-based spectral dual-energy X-ray microtomography imaging for ex vivo animal tissue samples. Technical details on this topic have been reported in previous work, so we focus explicitly on applications here, discussing both dual-energy imaging for the separation of mineralised tissue from one X-ray dense contrast agent, as well as the imaging of samples stained with two X-ray dense contrast agents. Examples are given for a variety of research areas, including preclinical biomedical phenotyping (vasculature, skeletal development), comparative vertebrate morphology, and invertebrate anatomy. Based on the data presented, we conclude that the use of spectral X-ray information can provide new insights into CT datasets. Although using the dual-energy approach initially requires more effort and cost in data acquisition, this additional effort is often worthwhile, as dual-energy datasets allow for more efficient data visualisation, segmentation, and analysis. Until now, software functions for acquisition and processing of dual-energy data have not been implemented in many of the software toolboxes provided by X-ray microtomography vendors with their scanners. We propose that a user-friendly implementation of software tools for acquiring and processing spectral CT data would be a big step towards a wider use of this promising and powerful imaging approach. en TEXT journal article Wissenschaftlicher Artikel Articolo scientifico Text journal article Text Wissenschaftlicher Artikel Documento PDF Articolo scientifico X-ray Microtomography MicroCT µCT DECT Basis Material Decomposition DiceCT 2025 2025 Stephan Handschuh Ursula Reichart Stefan Kummer Simone Gabner Bernhard Ruthensteiner Andy Sombke Thomas Schwaha Christian J. Beisser Patrick Lemell David Haberthür Ruslan Hlushchuk Rudolf Glueckert Brian D. Metscher Martin Glösmann Walter de Gruyter