Knutsen Russell H, Gober Leah M, Sukinik Joseph R, Donahue Danielle R, Kronquist Elise K, Levin Mark D, McLean Sean E, Kozel Beth A
Translational Vascular Medicine Branch, National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health.
Mouse Imaging Facility, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health.
J Vis Exp. 2020 Jun 20(160). doi: 10.3791/61242.
Blood vessels form intricate networks in 3-dimensional space. Consequently, it is difficult to visually appreciate how vascular networks interact and behave by observing the surface of a tissue. This method provides a means to visualize the complex 3-dimensional vascular architecture of the lung. To accomplish this, a catheter is inserted into the pulmonary artery and the vasculature is simultaneously flushed of blood and chemically dilated to limit resistance. Lungs are then inflated through the trachea at a standard pressure and the polymer compound is infused into the vascular bed at a standard flow rate. Once the entire arterial network is filled and allowed to cure, the lung vasculature may be visualized directly or imaged on a micro-CT (µCT) scanner. When performed successfully, one can appreciate the pulmonary arterial network in mice ranging from early postnatal ages to adults. Additionally, while demonstrated in the pulmonary arterial bed, this method can be applied to any vascular bed with optimized catheter placement and endpoints.
血管在三维空间中形成错综复杂的网络。因此，通过观察组织表面很难直观地了解血管网络是如何相互作用和表现的。该方法提供了一种可视化肺复杂三维血管结构的手段。为实现这一点，将一根导管插入肺动脉，同时将血管内的血液冲洗掉，并进行化学扩张以降低阻力。然后以标准压力通过气管给肺充气，并以标准流速将聚合物注入血管床。一旦整个动脉网络充满并固化，就可以直接观察肺血管系统，或在微型计算机断层扫描（µCT）扫描仪上成像。如果操作成功，可以观察到从出生后早期到成年小鼠的肺动脉网络。此外，虽然该方法已在肺动脉床得到验证，但通过优化导管放置和终点指标，可应用于任何血管床。
