ABSTRACT
The acoustic microstructure of mouse small intestine has been studied with a transmission acoustic microscope working at 1 GHz and the influence of the histologic processing on the microacoustic pattern has been tested. Unstained thin sections provide pictures rich in details and highly contrasted. Gelatin has been used as hydrosoluble embedding medium and has been compared to paraffin. The former embedding procedure retained the viscoelastic properties of the specimen far more and provided the most detailed pictures. Osmiun tetroxide has been used to demonstrate acoustic staining.
Subject(s)
Microscopy/methods , Ultrasonography , Animals , Intestine, Small/ultrastructure , Mice , Staining and LabelingABSTRACT
A scanning acoustic microscope operating at 600 MHz was used to observe arterioles in a thin sheet of collagenous connective tissue dissected from the submucosa of the guinea-pig small intestine. The arterioles were clearly defined in images made using transmitted ultrasound, and the acoustic attenuation (alpha) of the arteriolar wall was estimated to be 120 cm-1. Images made using reflected ultrasound did not show the arterioles clearly.
