Figure 6.

Surgeries for implanting terminal windows in the mouse lungs

Left panel: Preparation of surgical site. Begin by injecting anesthetic intraperitoneally. Diagram and picture show site of incision. Then perform a tracheotomy to Intubate mice for assisted ventilation. Follow by performing a thoracotomy with the aid of rib retractors. Middle panel: Place window for imaging. Use a round coverslip attached to a vacuum ring and place on top of the incision. Right panel: Place mouse on stage and image. A custom-built stage provides full body support to the mouse and allows space for tubing (used for vacuum, oxygenation and intravenous cannulation). Immobilize all limbs and tail. Depending on the experimental conditions, dyes can be added intravenously either before or after securing the mouse on the stage. An upright microscope is best suited to image the lungs. The objective reaches the lungs from the top. Scale bar: 20 μm. Created with BioRender.com.