Correlative microscopy of native surfaces of human lung: color macrophotography, SEM, LM, TEM, HVEM, and low-temperature scanning electron microscopy
The power of microscopic analysis can be increased even though the resolution of the microscope remains constant if a native tissue surface is presented to the microscope. A surface that exists in vivo before any cutting or handling of the tissue is a native surface. It preserves the most useful surface information present in the specimen and minimizes spurious information. In the case of human lung, the airway is dissected open as it branches, exposing its luminal surface. This preserves global properties such as connection and branching as well as local properties such as tissue and cellular structure. The surface of the airway is imaged at 100X with the scanning electron microscope (SEM) and the micrographs assembled into a montage, a 30'' x 40'' map of the airway. These maps demonstrate the shape and branching pattern of the airway while preserving tissue detail with good resolution. The montage is a filing system for SEM micrographs that preserves positional information present in the sample. This information allows one to see patterns of ultrastructural features as a function of position along the airway, to see continuous variation without the need to break the airway down into a small number of regions. It allows precise localization of any structural feature along the airway for high magnification SEM and subsequent transmission electron microscopy (TEM) of the internal structure of the very same feature. The procedure for sample preparation is described.
- Research Organization:
- Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, CA
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC03-76SF00098
- OSTI ID:
- 6272116
- Journal Information:
- Proc. - Annu. Meet., Electron Microsc. Soc. Am.; (United States), Vol. 41
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Interactive stereo electron microscopy enhanced with virtual reality
Nitrogen adsorption data, FIB-SEM tomography and TEM micrographs of neutron-irradiated superfine grain graphite