Date of Award
Summer 2004
Document Type
Thesis - Restricted
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Department
Biomedical Engineering
Abstract
Understanding the pulmonary arterial tree branching morphology enables a greater understanding of physiological system design. The intensive study of lung branching morphogenesis has been carried out for over 50 years, but has uncovered limited information. A quantitative description of the form of the pulmonary arterial tree can be used to investigate the extent to which specifically-coded genetic information and environmental factors determine the pulmonary structure resulting during lung branching morphogenesis. This study was designed to quantitatively assess rat pulmonary vascular patterns that may indicate genetic design or environmental remodeling. Volumetric microfocal xray computed tomographic (CT) images of excised Fawn Hooded and Sprague Dawley rat lungs were captured and vessel segment diameters and lengths were measured from the reconstructed CT images for both rat strains. Since inbred rats represented by the Fawn Hooded rat population, demonstrate identical genetic structure, observed variations between the branching patterns could be attributed to environmental influence. However, the type and magnitude of the differences between the branching patterns could be classified in terms of various modifications of an underlying basic arterial structure Quantification of the branching pattern involved identifying branching consistencies within a strain using nonparametric statistics (such as the run test and reverse arrangements test) and image processing techniques (such as two-dimensional histogram analysis). The nonparametric statistics and t he multi-dimensional histogram analysis exposed predictable branching behaviors, but the inherent complexity of the pulmonary vascular network coupled with measurement variability posed key challenges in recognizing and quantifying significant differences between rat strains.
Recommended Citation
Dhyani, Anita, "Genetic Determination Versus Environmental Influence in the Generation of the Pulmonary Arterial Tree Branching Pattern" (2004). Master's Theses (1922-2009) Access restricted to Marquette Campus. 5484.
https://epublications.marquette.edu/theses/5484