An ex vivo technique for quantifying mouse lung injury using ultrasound surface wave elastography

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is a progressively fatal disease with limited treatments. The bleomycin mouse model is often used to simulate the disease process in laboratory studies. The aim of this study was to develop an ex vivo technique for assessing mice lung injury using lung ultrasound surface wave elastography (LUSWE) in the bleomycin mouse model. The surface wave speeds were measured at three frequencies of 100, 200, and 300 Hz for mice lungs from control, mild, and severe groups. The results showed significant differences in the lung surface wave speeds, pulse oximetry, and compliance between control mice and mice with severe pulmonary fibrosis. LUSWE is an evolving technique for evaluating lung stiffness and may be useful for assessing pulmonary fibrosis in the bleomycin mouse model.