title: Virtual four-dimensional imaging of lung parenchyma by optical coherence tomography in mice.
abstract: In this feasibility study, we present a method for virtual 4-D imaging of healthy and injured subpleural lung tissue in the ventilated mouse. We use triggered swept source optical coherence tomography (OCT) with an A-scan frequency of 20 kHz to image murine subpleural alveoli during the inspiratory phase. The data acquisition is gated to the ventilation pressure to take single B-scans in each respiration cycle for different pressure levels. The acquired B-scans are combined off-line into one volume scan for each pressure level. The air fraction in healthy lungs and injured lungs is measured using 2-D OCT en-face images. Upon lung inspiration from 2 to 12 cm H(2)O ventilation pressure, the air fraction increases in healthy lungs by up to 11% and in injured lungs by 8%. This expansion correlates well with results of previous studies, reporting increased alveolar area with increased ventilation pressures. We demonstrate that OCT is a useful tool to investigate alveolar dynamics in spatial dimensions.
authors.affiliation: University of Technology Dresden, Clinical Sensoring and Monitoring, Medical Faculty, Fetscherstrasse 74, 01307 Dresden, Germany. sven.meissner@tu-dresden.de
authors.forename: Sven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Meissner
authors.forename: Arata
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tabuchi
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mertens
authors.forename: Wolfgang M
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: Kuebler
authors.forename: Edmund
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Koch
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional / Q000379:methods*; D008168:Lung / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology; D051379:Mice; D011650:Pulmonary Alveoli / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology; D012119:Respiration; D012121:Respiration, Artificial; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence / Q000379:methods*