Plastic foil technique attenuates inflammation in mesenteric intravital microscopy.

Abstract Background. Interpretation of intravital microscopic observations is complicated by the “inflammatory”-type response to the trauma inflicted on the tissue by the surgical preparation. The present study evaluates different experimental conditions for prolonged observations of the mesenteric microcirculation in the rat. Methods. The mesentery was exteriorized through a median laparotomy and subjected to an organ bath or a modified plastic foil technique. Hemodynamic, metabolic, respiratory, and microcirculatory data were analyzed. Results. In contrast to the plastic foil technique, which yielded stable baseline values over a 5-h observation period, venular velocity and wall shear rat…