FIBEROPTIC CONFOCAL IMAGING FOR ID OF CONDUCTION TISSUE DURING CARDIAC SURGERY

项目摘要/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 心脏手术，特别是儿科心内直视手术中的模式。心脏手术的一个主要风险是 传导系统受损，使房室同步激活。损坏 传导系统是不可逆的，需要昂贵的起搏器植入，并与 严重的发病率。尽管传导系统存在个体差异，但在 外科手术目前仅限于解剖标志物的视觉识别。我们的初步数据显示 心脏组织的显微图像为各种不同的视觉识别提供了足够的信息 心脏组织的类型。在这个项目中，我们将检验这样一个假设，即心房和结节组织可以 使用纤维光学共聚焦显微镜和专门的成像微探针在动物模型中进行了区分。 在第一个具体目标中，我们将应用我们先前工作中建立的技术来创建和分析三个- 兔心房、窦房结和房室结组织的三维重建 修复了兔心。我们将使用荧光标记、常规扫描共聚焦显微镜和方法 数字图像处理技术来创建这些组织的高分辨率微结构3D模型。在第二个 具体地说，我们将开发和评估用于表征心脏组织的光纤微探针。这 这项工作将与北美的莫纳克亚技术公司合作进行，该公司为我们提供了 具有独特专业知识的研究团队，开发专门用于区分心脏组织的微探针。 微探针的设计和评估将基于从3D提取的组织参数 在第一个具体目标中开展的重建工作。将设计几个微型探头的原型， 开发和评估。在第三个具体目标中，我们将对心房、窦房结和房室结组织进行特征分析 光纤共聚焦显微镜和专门的微探头(在第二个特定目标中开发) 兔心活体制剂。我们的光纤将采集多组二维图像数据 并用共焦显微镜进行表征，采用图像处理和目视检查的方法。所有特定的 旨在验证我们的假设，即来自光纤共焦显微镜的图像是 足以区分房室、房结和房室结组织。

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.