Microangiography with reverse Compton scattering X-ray (rCX) system

Abstract

Purpose:Metabolic syndrome (MS) is a well known modern ailment. In order to prevent the conditions, it is important to visualize microvessels (MV, 20-200 μm) and to evaluate them quantitatively in patients with MS. In this study we examined whether rCX could be used for microangiography to obtain vessel images in isolated dog heart (IDH) and rabbit ear (RE).Methods:A catheter was inserted into the left coronary artery of IDH and iodine microspheres (IM) was injected. The vessel was then ligated after the catheter was removed. A similar procedure was used to inject IM into the central artery of resected RE. Each tissue was then soaked in 10% formalin solution. We used an S band acceleration pipe rCX (S-rCX) system equipped with one of the three detectors characterized by a high spatial resolution.Results:With the imaging plate, we succeeded in visualizing intracardiac MV with an estimated diameter of 108 μm in IDH. Similarly, vessels of 80 μm diameter were visualized in RE.Discussion:In this study we showed that an S-rCX device could visualize MV whose diameter was at the limit of resolution of the detector. We intend to examine whether a higher-resolution scan would successfully obtain images of MV by increasing the output of reverse Compton scattering. [J Physiol Sci. 2008;58 Suppl:S190]