Premium
Non‐invasive investigations of early embryonic cardiac blood flow with optical coherence tomography
Author(s) -
Rothenberg Florence,
Davis Anjul M,
Izatt Joseph A
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.20.4.a451
Subject(s) - embryonic heart , atrioventricular canal , heartbeat , optical coherence tomography , blood flow , atrioventricular valve , cardiac cycle , anatomy , embryonic stem cell , beat (acoustics) , medicine , cardiology , biology , biomedical engineering , heart disease , physics , optics , radiology , computer science , ventricle , gene , biochemistry , computer security
Objective The purpose of this investigation was to develop techniques to non‐invasively measure blood flow velocities in the tubular embryonic chick heart with optical coherence tomography (OCT) technologies. The early chick and mammalian embryonic heart is extremely small (< 2mm) and, once the heart begins to beat, continually moves. A system with high spatial and temporal resolution is necessary to accurately image such small organs. We have devised methods for using OCT, an imaging device capable of high spatial (2–15 microns) and temporal (10–100 frames per second) resolution, for investigations of early embryonic structure and function. We present investigations of structure and blood flow in embryonic chick hearts from stage 8 (prior to the embryonic heart beat) through stage 13, after onset of the heartbeat and after cardiac looping has begun. Color Doppler investigations revealed that flow through the atrioventricular canal, the precursor of the atrioventricular valves, was laminar, while flow through the outflow tract, precursor of the aortic and pulmonary valves, appeared more complex. These findings suggest that blood flow and blood flow velocity may play a role in the divergent developmental pathways taken by the atrioventricular vs. the outflow tract endocardial cushions. Support: AHA 0365348B (FR).