Arteriovenous Patterns in Beaked Whales
Abstract
The long-term goal of this project is to provide a clear picture of the vascular anatomy in beaked whale heads that will facilitate improvement of future nitrogen kinetics models and act as a baseline from which future morphological, pathophysiological, and mathematical modeling research can evolve. The objective of the research thus far was to characterize the gross morphology of the blood vessels in the heads of beaked whales. Description and understanding of this architecture would be accomplished through dissection and diagnostic imaging techniques. Final products would involve peer-reviewed publications of resulting data and presentation of findings at the Society for Marine Mammalogy 20th Biennial Marine Mammal Conference. The approach of this project utilized a combination of classical anatomical methods in conjunction with new diagnostic imaging modalities to decipher the complex vascular patterns in the heads of beaked whales. The aforementioned approach used a vascular perfusion mixture of liquid latex and a radiopaque contrast agent. After injection into the blood vessels and adequate curing time, specimens were imaged via computed tomography (CT) using a thin slice protocol. Resulting DICOM data were postprocessed using Amira (trademark) (VSG Imaging) software and were examined prior to commencement of gross dissection. After sufficient review of CT data, each specimen underwent a detailed gross dissection of the injected vascular system. Important findings were photo and video documented. When warranted, injected and/or uninjected structures were excised from the specimen, preserved in formalin, and re-examined more closely. All work to date has been carried out by the Principial Investigator (PI). In addition to the PI (Alexander Costidis), an assistant researcher (Sentiel Rommel, Ph.D.) also was hired from the University of North Carolina Wilmington to conduct the work.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 30, 2013
- Accession Number
- ADA598358
Entities
People
- Alexander M. Costidis
Organizations
- University of North Carolina Wilmington