Non-Invasive Microstructure and Morphology Investigation of the Mouse Lung: Qualitative Description and Quantitative Measurement

Zhang, Lu; Li, Dongyue; Luo, Shuqian

Moving down the respiratory tract from the trachea, the air ducts divided more into smaller branches. The alveoli are the final branching of the respiratory tree, where the gas/blood exchange occurs. The distribution of the alveoli reveals information regarding lung health. Immature 1-day-old mouse alveoli range in diameter from 100 to 150 mm [15] . The diameter of most alveoli in our reconstruction image was in this range. Figure 4 is a detailed demonstration of one small section of the lung. These images provided a magnified view of the alveolar sacs and the alveoli. The model could be cut at any angle, varied in size, and rotated in real time. As shown in Figure 4 , it was easy to measure the morphological characteristics, which was of great importance in the diagnosis of diseases related to alveolus and alveolar scar.