FIBEROPTIC CONFOCAL IMAGING FOR ID OF CONDUCTION TISSUE DURING CARDIAC SURGERY

项目总结/摘要 申请人的长期目标是建立光纤共聚焦显微镜作为术中成像 在心脏外科手术中，特别是在儿科心脏直视手术中，心脏手术的一个主要风险是 传导系统的损伤，这使得心房和心室同步激活。损伤 传导系统是不可逆的，需要昂贵的起搏器插入， 严重的发病率。尽管传导系统存在个体差异， 外科手术目前仅限于解剖标志的视觉识别。我们的初步数据显示 心脏组织的显微图像提供了足够的信息用于视觉区分各种 心脏组织的类型。在这个项目中，我们将测试假设，心房和结组织可以 使用光纤共聚焦显微镜和专门的成像微探针在动物模型中区分。 在第一个具体目标中，我们将应用我们以前工作中建立的技术来创建和分析三个- 心房、窦房结（SAN）和房室结（AVN）组织的三维（3D）重建， 修复兔子心脏我们将使用荧光标记，常规扫描共聚焦显微镜和方法 来创建这些高分辨率的组织微观结构3D模型。在第二 具体目标，我们将开发和评估用于表征心脏组织的光纤微探针。这 工作将与北美莫纳克亚技术公司合作进行，该公司提供我们的 该研究团队拥有独特的专业知识，开发专门用于区分心脏组织的微探针。 微探针的设计和评价将基于从3D图像中提取的组织参数。 在第一个特定目标中开发的重建。将设计几种微探针的原型， 开发和评估。在第三个具体目标中，我们将应用 光纤共聚焦显微镜和专用微探针（在第二个具体目标中开发）， 兔心活制剂。我们的光纤将采集二维图像数据集 共聚焦显微镜和使用图像处理方法和视觉检查表征。所有具体 目的是为了测试我们的假设，从光纤共聚焦显微镜的图像是 足以区分心房、SAN和AVN组织。

Project Summary/Abstract The applicants' long-term aim is to establish fiber-optics confocal microscopy as an intraoperative imaging modality in cardiac surgery, in particular in pediatric open heart surgery. A major risk of cardiac surgery is damage of the conduction system, which enables synchronized activation of atria and ventricles. Damage of the conduction system is irreversible, necessitates costly pacemaker insertion and is associated with significant morbidity. Despite individual variations in the conduction system, tissue discrimination during surgery is currently limited to the visual identification of anatomical landmarks. Our preliminary data indicate that microscopic images of cardiac tissue provide sufficient information for visual discrimination of various types of cardiac tissue. In this project, we will test the hypothesis that atrial and nodal tissue can be discriminated in an animal model using fiber-optics confocal microscopy and specialized imaging micro-probes. In the first specific aim, we will apply techniques established in our previous work to create and analyze three- dimensional (3D) reconstructions of atrial, sinoatrial node (SAN) and atrio-ventricular node (AVN) tissue from fixed rabbit hearts. We will use fluorescent labeling, conventional scanning confocal microscopy and methods of digital image processing to create these high-resolution micro-structural 3D models of tissue. In the second specific aim, we will develop and evaluate fiber-optics microprobes for characterization of cardiac tissue. This work will be carried out in collaboration with Mauna Kea Technologies, North America, which provides our research team with unique expertise to develop microprobes specialized for discrimination of cardiac tissue. The design and evaluation of microprobes will be based on tissue parameters extracted from the 3D reconstructions developed in the first specific aim. Several prototypes of microprobes will be designed, developed and evaluated. In the third specific aim, we will characterize atrial, SAN and AVN tissues applying fiber-optics confocal microscopy and the specialized microprobes (developed in the second specific aim) to living preparations of rabbit heart. Sets of two-dimensional image data will be acquired with our fiber-optics confocal microscope and characterized using image processing methods and visual inspection. All specific aims are designed towards testing our hypothesis that images from the fiber-optics confocal microscopy are sufficient for discrimination of atrial, SAN and AVN tissue.