The black ink marks should be between 1 - 1.5 cm apart to indicate the imaging region of interest. The green ink mark should be placed at the beginning of the imaging scan, before the first black ink mark to orient the specimen (Figure 2 and Figure 3a). Tissue ink marks should be visible on both OFDI imaging and histology (Figure 3 and 4). In normal swine (Figure 3) and human airway (Figure 4), typical airway layering should be visible. The epithelium (E) is visible as a thin, moderately signal dense, homogeneous layer at the luminal aspect of the airway. The lamina propria consists of organized signal-intense to signal-poor tissue, corresponding to various components of the lamina propria (LP) such as signal intense connective tissues including elastin and collagen (EL), and signal poor salivary-type glandular tissue (G). There are occasionally visible signal poor ducts (D) traversing the respiratory epithelium to connect with the bronchial lumen. Smooth muscle appears as discontinuous, interspersed smooth muscle fascicles and is thus not identifiable in OFDI. On the H&E and trichrome stains, airway layering can be visualized (Figure 3c, 3d, 3f, 3g, 4b, 4c, 4e, and 4f), where on trichrome the superficial dense elastic and collagenous tissues appear deep blue and the underlying smooth muscle stains red (SM). Cartilage rings (C) appear as signal poor crescent-shaped structures with well-defined boundaries, which overlap in the swine airway and do not overlap in the human airway. The perichondrium surrounding the cartilage rings appears as a thin layer of signal intense tissue encompassing the signal poor cartilage rings. In the peripheral human airways (Figure 4g and 4h), alveolar attachments (A) are visible as thin, signal intense lattice-like alveolar walls with signal void alveolar spaces. Vascular spaces within the lamina propria are visible as signal void linear or circular structures with mild underlying shadowing artifact (arrows).

Figure 1. OFDI of swine airway. In vivo images obtained from a swine airway under mechanical ventilation. (a) ODFI cross-section of proximal airway. (b) OFDI cross-section of distal airway. (c) ODFI longitudinal section of proximal airway, higher magnification image of panel e in red highlighted region. (d) OFDI longitudinal section of distal airway, higher magnification image of panel e in green highlighted region. (e) ODFI longitudinal section of airway from proximal to distal (left to right). Catheter diameter is 0.8 mm and tick marks represent 0.5 mm increments. Although different layers of the airway wall and alveolar attachments are discernible in the OFDI images, it is difficult to precisely interpret the anatomic correlate of the OFDI signals without directly registered histology. e: epithelium, lp: lamina propria, sm: submucosa, c: cartilage, a: alveolar attachments.

Figure 2. Tissue marking of swine airway. (a) Opened airway with two black ink marks on the luminal surface placed parallel to the longitudinal aspect of the airway, 1.5 cm apart. (b) OFDI catheter placed over two black ink marks to include both marks within the OFDI pullback. (c) Airway with additional green ink mark to orient the beginning of the imaging scan on the specimen.

Figure 3. OFDI and histology of swine airway demonstrating precise correlation using tissue marking. (a) Opened airway with two black ink marks on the luminal surface placed parallel to the circumferential aspect of the airway. Pins are used to further open the airway (arrows). (b) OFDI of swine airway with both ink marks visible (asterisks) with (c) precisely correlated histology stained with H&E (asterisks: black ink marks visible on respiratory epithelium) and (d) correlated trichrome stain. Scale bar: 2 mm. (e) Higher magnification view of OFDI image with (f) corresponding histology stained with H&E and (g) correlated trichrome stain. E: respiratory epithelium, EL: dense collagen and elastic tissues, SM: smooth muscle, C: cartilage rings (histological artifact has resulted in artificial separation of the cartilage rings), G: salivary gland tissue, D: salivary duct entering epithelium. Scale bar: 250 μm. Click here to view larger figure.

Figure 4. OFDI and histology of human airway demonstrating precise correlation using tissue marking. (a) OFDI of human proximal airway with both ink marks visible (asterisks). (b) Precisely correlated histology stained with H&E with black ink marks visible on respiratory epithelium (asterisks) and (c) correlated trichrome stain. Scale bar: 2 mm. (d) Higher magnification view of OFDI image and (e) corresponding histology stained with H&E and (f) trichrome. Scale bar: 250 μm. E: respiratory epithelium, LP: lamina propria, G: salivary gland tissue, C: cartilage rings, PC: perichondrium. In the human airway, typical layering is visible. Within the loose connective tissue, there are interspersed fascicles of red-staining smooth muscle (SM, panels c and f), which do not form a continuous band and thus are not visible as a distinct layer in OFDI. (g) OFDI of human distal airway and (h) precisely correlated H&E histology with black ink marks visible on respiratory epithelium (asterisks). Scale bar: 2 mm. Alveolar attachments (A) are visible as signal intense lattice-like alveolar walls with signal void alveolar spaces. Vascular spaces within the lamina propria are also visible as signal-void structures with underlying mild shadowing (arrows).