Aortic elastin morphometry by confocal microscopy

Elastin is a major component of the artery wall. Previous morphological measurements of elastin structure were done by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) of elastin chemically extracted by digestion from tissue. The authors developed a method to image elastin with the confocal microscope, and measure the size of fenestrations in the internal elastic lamina (IEL) in segments of stained and dehydrated intact aortic wall which had been fixed under physiological pressure. The authors found the fenestrations were larger than previously reported by the SEM method and their size is likely dependent on the degree of strain in the artery wall.