Synchrotron Microangiography of the Rat Heart Using the Langendorff Model.
10.4070/kcj.2008.38.9.462
- Author:
Woong Han KIM
1
;
Se Hoon CHOI
;
Jae Gun KWAK
;
Dong Jin KIM
;
Se Jin OH
;
Dong Jung KIM
;
Woo Sung JANG
;
Jae Hang LEE
;
Eun Suk CHOI
;
Young Jun KIM
Author Information
1. Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Children's Hospital, Seoul, Korea. woonghan@snu.ac.kr
- Publication Type:Original Article
- Keywords:
Synchrotrons;
Radiation;
Contrast agents;
Air;
Iodine
- MeSH:
Animals;
Capillaries;
Contrast Media;
Embolism;
Heart;
Humans;
Iodine;
Ischemia;
Microvessels;
Rats;
Synchrotrons
- From:Korean Circulation Journal
2008;38(9):462-467
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The ability to study microvessels of a beating heart in real time at the level of the capillary is essential for research. However, there are no proven methods currently available to achieve this. The conventional absorption-contrast agents have limitations for studying capillaries. Microangiography with using synchrotron phase-contrast X-ray technology and no contrast agent has recently been reported on. We tried to verify this previous report, and we wanted to visualize the microvessels of a rat heart using air as a contrast agent. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We made the Langendorff apparatus in a hutch of the Pohang Accelerator Laboratory. The images were obtained with a white beam and a monochromatic beam. The visual images were magnified using 3x and 20x optical microscope lenses, and the images were captured with a charge-coupled device camera. RESULTS: We could not duplicate the previously reported findings in which microvessels were visualized without the use of contrast agent. But with using air as a contrast agent, the microvasculature of rat hearts was clearly identified at a spatial resolution of 1.2 microm. Air being absorbed inside a capillary was also observed. Vessels under 10 microm diameter were unable to be visualized with using iodine as a contrast agent. CONCLUSION: Phase contrast imaging already allows spatial resolution of 1 microm, which is enough to inspect capillaries. We were able to obtain images of cardiac capillaries with using air as a contrast agent. Yet air has the fatal limitations in that it causes embolism and ischemia. A more suitable contrast agent or imaging method needs to be developed in order to study the microvessels of a beating heart.
