Comparison of the new OPS Imaging technique with intravital microscopy: Analysis of the colon microcirculation

Background. The OPS imaging technique has been introduced for in
vivo assessment of microcirculation in humans. The aim of this
study was to validate the new technique against intravital
fluorescence microscopy (IFM) for the visualization of colon
microcirculation in a murine model of inflammatory bowel disease
(IBD). Method. IBD was induced in Balb/c mice by dextran sulfate
sodium, controls received normal water. In each animal, both the
CYTOSCAN(TM) A/R and IFM were used to image the microcirculation (n
= 7 in each group). The postcapillary venular diameter was analyzed
on the colon muscularis and mucosa. Results: The venular diameter
correlated significantly between both methods representing the good
correspondence between both methods. Conclusion: Our study
demonstrates that the new technique for visualization of
microcirculation without use of fluorescent dyes, the OPS imaging,
allows for quantitative measurement of a key microcirculatory
parameters of the mouse colon. Copyright (C) 2002 S. Karger AG,
Basel.