Figure 3–
Representative longitudinal volumetric computed tomography (VCT) images of the chest of wild-type (WT) and β-epithelial Na+ channel (ENaC)-transgenic (TG) mice. VCT images of the lung were taken sequentially starting at the age of 3 days in a, d, g, j) a WT mouse, b, e, h, k) a surviving βENaC-TG littermate and c, f, i) a βENaC-TG mouse that died spontaneously on day 21. Note the development of an overall inhomogeneous lung parenchyma in βENaC-TG mice compared with the homogeneous texture in the WT mouse, and a difference in emphysema severity in the two βENaC-TG mice. These images also give examples of other characteristic pathologies, such as diffuse infiltrates (white arrows), atelectasis (black arrows) and air trapping (white arrowheads). Corresponding mean lung densities (in Hounsfield units) for each mouse are given at the top of each image. Images were aligned at the level of the branching of the right inferior lobe bronchus. Scale bars = 1 mm. l) Landmark structures of the mouse chest: heart (1), spine (2), chest wall with costae (3), bronchovascular branches (4) and lung parenchyma (5).