NONINVASIVE ASSESSMENT OF THE DEVELOPING XENOPUS CARDIOVASCULAR-SYSTEM USING OPTICAL COHERENCE TOMOGRAPHY

Studies investigating normal and abnormal cardiac development are freq uently limited by an inability to assess cardiovascular function withi n the intact organism, Tn this work, optical coherence tomography (OCT ), a new method of micron-scale, noninvasive imaging based on the meas urement of backscattered infrared light, was introduced for the high r esolution assessment of structure and function in the developing Xenop us laevis cardiovascular system. Microstructural details, such as vent ricular size and wall positions, were delineated with OCT at 16-mu m r esolution and correlated with histology. Three-dimensional representat ion of the cardiovascular system also was achieved by repeated cross-s ectional imaging at intervals of 25 mu m. In addition to structural in formation, OCT provides high speed in vivo axial ranging and imaging, allowing quantitative dynamic activity, such as ventricular ejection f raction, to be assessed. The sensitivity of OCT for dynamic assessment was demonstrated with an inotropic agent that altered cardiac functio n and dimensions, Optical coherence tomography is an attractive new te chnology for assessing cardiovascular development because of its high resolution, its ability to image through nontransparent structures, an d its Inexpensive portable design, in vivo and in vitro imaging are pe rformed at a resolution approaching that of histopathology without the need for animal killing.