Document Type

Conference Proceeding

Language

eng

Format of Original

6 p.

Publication Date

2-17-2001

Publisher

Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers

Source Publication

Proceedings of SPIE 4321: Medical Imaging 2001: Physiology and Function from Multidimensional Images, San Diego, CA, (February 17, 2001)

Original Item ID

doi: 10.1117/12.428147

Abstract

Animal models and micro-CT imaging are useful for understanding the functional consequences of, and identifying the genes involved in, the remodeling of vascular structures that accompanies pulmonary vascular disease. Using a micro-CT scanner to image contrast-enhanced arteries in excised lungs from fawn hooded rats (a strain genetically susceptible to hypoxia induced pulmonary hypertension), we found that portions of the pulmonary arterial tree downstream from a given diameter were morphometrically indistinguishable. This 'self-consistency' property provided a means for summarizing the pulmonary arterial tree architecture and mechanical properties using a parameter vector obtained from measurements of the contiguous set of vessel segments comprising the longest (principal) pathway and its branches over a range of vascular pressures. This parameter vector was used to characterize the pulmonary vascular remodeling that occurred in rats exposed to a hypoxic (11.5% oxygen) environment and provided the input to a hemodynamic model relating structure to function. The major effect of the remodeling was a longitudinally (pulmonary artery to arterioles) uniform decrease in vessel distensibility that resulted in a 90% increase in arterial resistance. Despite the almost uniform change in vessel distensibility, over 50% of the resistance increase was attributable to vessels with unstressed diameters less than 125 microns.

Comments

Published version. Published as part of the proceedings of the conference, SPIE 4321, Medical Imaging 2001: Physiology and Function from Multidimensional Images, 2001: 282-287. DOI. © 2001 Society of Photo-optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE). Used with permission.

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