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Updated: Jun 23, 2026
High-frequency Ultrasound Imaging of Mouse Cervical Lymph Nodes
Published on: July 25, 2015
Ultrasound biomicroscopy: a powerful tool probing murine lymph node size in vivo
Mattéo R Bosisio1, Corentin Maisonneuve, Sylvie Gregoire
1UPMC Univ Paris 06, UMR 7623, Paris, France. matteo.bosisio@gmail
Insights
Ultrasound biomicroscopy (UBM) noninvasively measures lymph node (LN) size changes in mice, offering a reliable alternative to invasive cell counting. This method aids early detection and longitudinal screening of LN modifications, reducing animal use.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Medical Imaging
- Veterinary Science
Background:
- Invasive cell-counting is the standard for assessing lymph node (LN) changes in murine models of inflammation, immunodeficiency, and cancer.
- Assessing LN size alterations noninvasively is crucial for early detection and longitudinal studies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate ultrasound biomicroscopy (UBM) for noninvasive measurement of lymph node (LN) size alterations in mice across a wide volume range.
- To assess the correlation between UBM-estimated LN volume and invasive cell counts.
- To demonstrate UBM's utility in a skin-graft rejection model and for longitudinal LN monitoring.
Main Methods:
- Ultrasound biomicroscopy (UBM) was used to estimate LN volume in C57BL/6 mice and transgenic mice with LN hyperplasia.
- UBM measurements were correlated with invasive cell counts.
- UBM LN screening was applied in a skin-graft rejection model and for longitudinal follow-up from 9 days of age.
Main Results:
- A strong correlation (rho = 0.91, p < 0.0001) was found between invasive cell counts and UBM-estimated LN volumes (0.1 mm³ to 22 mm³).
- UBM demonstrated reliable (ICC > 0.84) and reproducible LN size evaluations compared to invasive cell counting.
- Longitudinal UBM LN-size follow-up was successfully demonstrated from 9 days of age, with a minimum detectable area of 0.13 mm².
Conclusions:
- Ultrasound biomicroscopy (UBM) offers a noninvasive, reliable alternative to invasive cell-counting for assessing lymph node (LN) modifications in mice.
- UBM enables early detection and longitudinal screening of LN changes, potentially reducing the number of animals used.
- This technique allows for the study of smaller LNs that might be missed by traditional dissection methods.
Abstract:
Invasive cell-counting in lymph node (LN) is the current reference to assess LN changes due to inflammation, immunodeficiency and cancer in murine models. This work evaluates whether ultrasound biomicroscopy (UBM) can measure LN size alterations noninvasively for a large range of sizes (0.1 mm3 to 22 mm3). Correlation was assessed (rho = 0.91, p < 0.0001) between invasive cell count and LN volume estimated with UBM (24, 2 to 28-week-old, C57BL/6 mice; 13 same-strain, transgenic mice presenting LN hyperplasia). UBM LN modification screening was applied in a skin-graft rejection model and compared with cell-counting (15 mice). UBM LN-size follow-up with fine temporal sampling was demonstrated from 9 d of age (minimum area 0.13 mm2). Reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC] > 0.84) and variability of UBM evaluations compared favourably with invasive cell count. UBM provides a noninvasive alternative to cell-counting in mice for early detection and longitudinal screening of LN modifications. This can enable significant reduction in the number of mice and exploration of LNs that would be too small to dissect for cell count.
