Year	First Author / Last Author	Animal	Surgery	Type of  Imaging	Notes
1926	Wearn & German	Cats	Chest wall cut down to pleural layer.  Second opening made through diaphragm down to pleura for illumination.	Bright-field microscopy.	First “window” through pleural wall.
1939	Terry	Cats	Ribs are separated, 1 in. window implanted, air removed from thorax with vacuum.	Binocular and skin microscope using polarized illumination.	First implanted optical window.  Used vacuum to draw tissue to window.
1963	de Alva & Rainer	Rabbits & Dogs	One or two ribs are resected and 1 in. window inserted and sutured to chest wall.  Skin was closed over window and animal allowed to heal.  Before imaging, skin was dissected to expose window.	Used high speed stroboscopic cinematography  through a low mag (11X) objective.	First survival window.
1965	Wagner & Filley	Dogs	Right forelimb removed, one rib cut and window inserted and sutured.	Reflection microscopy with 22X objective.	First relatively motion free window without vacuum.
1969	Wagner	Dogs	One Rib is resected, 3 in. window implanted.  Threaded flange screws on window to form seal to chest wall.	Brightfield microscopy with high-magnification 100X oil immersion objective.	First window to use vacuum to stabilize tissue movement.
1992	Groh &  Goetz	Rabbits	One rib resected, 1.2 in. window implanted. Threaded flange screws on window to form seal to chest wall.  Vacuum applied.	Epifluorescent microscopy with 25X objective.	First use of a vacuum window with epifluorescence.
1994	Fingar &  Wieman	Rats	2 ribs are resected, 1 in. window implanted and sutured to chest wall and skin.	Epifluorescent microscopy with 40X objective.	First survival window in rats.
2000	Funakoshi & Mitsui	Mice	Entire chest wall removed.  Vacuum suction ring attached to right lung.	Confocal microscopy with a 20X objective.	First use of vacuum window in mice.
2005	Lamm &  Glenny	Rats	Entire chest wall removed, 1 in. window attached to lung.	Reflection and epifluorescent microscopy with a 20X objective.	First use of vacuum window in rats.
2008	Tabuchi &  Keubler	Mice	3 ribs are resected, plastic film applied to opening to seal hole in chest wall.  Air removed via intrapleural catheter.	Epifluorescent microscopy with 20X objective.	First to use plastic film to seal opening in chest wall.