Towards a Real-Time Full-Field Stereoscopic Imaging System for Tracking Lung Surface Deformation Under Pressure Controlled Ventilation

The normal decline in lung function that occurs with age is virtually indistinguishable from early disease, leading to frequent misdiagnosis in the elderly. Computational modelling promises to be a useful tool for improving our understanding of lung mechanics. However, there is currently no unified structure-function computational model that explains how age-dependent structural changes translate to decline in whole lung function. Furthermore, existing models suffer from weak parameterisation due to lack of available data. To begin addressing this issue, we have developed a real-time full-field stereoscopic imaging system for tracking surface deformation of the rat lung during pressure-controlled ventilation. The system will enable the acquisition of novel physiological data on lung tissue mechanics. This study presents preliminary lung surface tracking results from experiments on Sprague-Dawley rats under pressure controlled ventilation. This rich data will provide us with previously unavailable information for constructing and validating more realistic computational models of the lung to help us better understand the mechanisms behind decline in lung function with aging and help guide the development of new diagnostic methods to distinguish age from lung disease.