Estimation of pulmonary arterial volume changes in the normal and hypertensive fawn-hooded rat from 3D micro-CT data

Robert C. Molthen; Christian Wietholt; Steven T. Haworth; Christopher A. Dawson

doi:10.1117/12.463592

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24 April 2002 Estimation of pulmonary arterial volume changes in the normal and hypertensive fawn-hooded rat from 3D micro-CT data

Robert C. Molthen, Christian Wietholt, Steven T. Haworth, Christopher A. Dawson

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Proceedings Volume 4683, Medical Imaging 2002: Physiology and Function from Multidimensional Images; (2002) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.463592
Event: Medical Imaging 2002, 2002, San Diego, California, United States

Abstract

In the study of pulmonary vascular remodeling, much can be learned from observing the morphological changes undergone in the pulmonary arteries of the rat lung when exposed to chronic hypoxia or other challenges which elicit a remodeling response. Remodeling effects include thickening of vessel walls, and loss of wall compliance. Morphometric data can be used to localize the hemodynamic and functional consequences. We developed a CT imaging method for measuring the pulmonary arterial tree over a range of pressures in rat lungs. X-ray micro-focal isotropic volumetric imaging of the arterial tree in the intact rat lung provides detailed information on the size, shape and mechanical properties of the arterial network. In this study, we investigate the changes in arterial volume with step changes in pressure for both normoxic and hypoxic Fawn-Hooded (FH) rats. We show that FH rats exposed to hypoxia tend to have reduced arterial volume changes for the same preload when compared to FH controls. A secondary objective of this work is to quantify various phenotypes to better understand the genetic contribution of vascular remodeling in the lungs. This volume estimation method shows promise in high throughput phenotyping, distinguishing differences in the pulmonary hypertensive rat model.

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Robert C. Molthen, Christian Wietholt, Steven T. Haworth, and Christopher A. Dawson "Estimation of pulmonary arterial volume changes in the normal and hypertensive fawn-hooded rat from 3D micro-CT data", Proc. SPIE 4683, Medical Imaging 2002: Physiology and Function from Multidimensional Images, (24 April 2002); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.463592

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