Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Helping Underdeveloped Lungs with Cells (HULC-2): mesenchymal stromal cells in extreme preterm infants at risk of developing bronchopulmonary dysplasia - a study protocol of a phase 2 multicentre double blind randomised controlled trial in Canada.

BMJ open·2026
Same author

Does neonatal sepsis affect the lung function of children and adults born prematurely?

Pediatric research·2026
Same author

Repeated versus selective tactile stimulation for preterm infants at birth: protocol and statistical analysis plan for a stepped-wedge cluster randomised controlled trial (NEU-stim trial).

BMJ open·2026
Same author

Perinatal determinants of the umbilical cord pH following preterm birth.

Journal of perinatal medicine·2026
Same author

Neonatal units' visiting policies and parental experience of open-access.

Journal of perinatal medicine·2026
Same author

Antenatal Maternal Smoking and Lung Function in Very Prematurely Born Children.

Pediatric pulmonology·2026

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Oct 10, 2025

Quantification of Orofacial Phenotypes in Xenopus
09:26

Quantification of Orofacial Phenotypes in Xenopus

Published on: November 6, 2014

9.9K

Functional morphometry to estimate the alveolar surface area using a premature baboon model.

Theodore Dassios1,2, Mario Rüdiger3, Donald McCurnin4

  • 1Neonatal Intensive Care Centre, King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom.

Journal of Applied Physiology (Bethesda, Md. : 1985)
|December 9, 2021
PubMed
Summary

A new functional method noninvasively estimates alveolar surface area (SA) in premature baboons. Ventilation to perfusion ratio predicts SA, offering a potential biomarker for neonatal respiratory disease.

Keywords:
Fick’s lawalveolar surface areamorphometryprematuritystereology

More Related Videos

A Mouse Model for Pathogen-induced Chronic Inflammation at Local and Systemic Sites
09:52

A Mouse Model for Pathogen-induced Chronic Inflammation at Local and Systemic Sites

Published on: August 8, 2014

17.7K
A Standardized Method for Measuring Internal Lung Surface Area via Mouse Pneumonectomy and Prosthesis Implantation
08:46

A Standardized Method for Measuring Internal Lung Surface Area via Mouse Pneumonectomy and Prosthesis Implantation

Published on: July 26, 2017

13.5K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Oct 10, 2025

Quantification of Orofacial Phenotypes in Xenopus
09:26

Quantification of Orofacial Phenotypes in Xenopus

Published on: November 6, 2014

9.9K
A Mouse Model for Pathogen-induced Chronic Inflammation at Local and Systemic Sites
09:52

A Mouse Model for Pathogen-induced Chronic Inflammation at Local and Systemic Sites

Published on: August 8, 2014

17.7K
A Standardized Method for Measuring Internal Lung Surface Area via Mouse Pneumonectomy and Prosthesis Implantation
08:46

A Standardized Method for Measuring Internal Lung Surface Area via Mouse Pneumonectomy and Prosthesis Implantation

Published on: July 26, 2017

13.5K

Area of Science:

  • Pulmonary physiology and morphometry
  • Neonatal respiratory disease research

Background:

  • Premature birth often leads to impaired alveolar development, resulting in a smaller alveolar surface area (SA).
  • Current methods for measuring SA, like histological morphometry, are invasive and unsuitable for living subjects.
  • There is a need for sensitive, noninvasive biomarkers to monitor respiratory disease progression in premature infants.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To describe and validate a novel functional morphometric method for measuring SA in a premature baboon model.
  • To assess the relationship between functional morphometry, histological morphometry, and ventilation to perfusion ratio (V̇a/Q̇).

Main Methods:

  • Functional morphometry was employed using Fick's law of diffusion, incorporating measurements of septal wall thickness, alveolar-arterial oxygen gradient, and pulmonary perfusion (via echocardiography and Doppler).
  • Histological morphometry was performed postmortem for comparison.
  • 11 premature baboons, born at 135 days gestation and treated for 14 days, were studied.

Main Results:

  • Functional morphometry yielded a median SA of 3,100 cm2, while histological morphometry (left lung only) measured 1,034 cm2.
  • There was no direct correlation between SA measurements from functional and histological morphometry.
  • Linear regression analysis revealed that V̇a/Q̇ significantly predicted the histologically measured SA (R2 = 0.659, P = 0.002).

Conclusions:

  • Functional morphometry, using noninvasive measurements like V̇a/Q̇, can estimate alveolar surface area in prematurely born baboons.
  • Ventilation to perfusion ratio is a key determinant of alveolar surface area in this model.
  • This noninvasive functional morphometric approach may serve as a valuable tool for monitoring neonatal respiratory disease.