FIG. 1.

X-ray imaging setup using a laboratory source. (A) BALB/c mice, intubated and mechanically ventilated, were placed in a custom sample mount on a rotating stage in between the source and detector. For 2D microangiography, an iodinated contrast agent was injected using a microsyringe pump during a breath-hold at peak inspiration, and images were captured from 3 views. For microcomputed tomography, the mouse was rotated while images were captured in synchronization with mechanical ventilation. (B) Raw 2D projection image of a frontal view using the laboratory x-ray imaging system described in (A). (C) Single slice from an unprocessed CT volume reconstructed using a cone-beam reconstruction technique. The technique presented in this study utilizes the contrast between air-filled lung tissue (see inset) and adjacent vasculature to quantify the vessel caliber. Scale bars represent 1 mm.