Vital microscopy of the lung

In order to develop an optimal method for prevital microscopy of the lung, in 12 experiments performed in mongrel dogs advantages of three methods of contact microscopy were compared: dark-field, polarization and fluorescent-absorptive. The results on investigating the lung microstructure and microcirculation demonstrated usefulness of all the three methods. Nevertheless, in order to estimate the lung microstructure and microcirculation, the dark-field method is the most expedient, to reveal the pleural vascular network, the best results are obtained with the fluorescent-absorptive microscopy. It is necessary to fix the part examined under the objective by means of a special fixator-sticker that does not traumatize the lung parenchyma and does not disturb the respiratory microcirculation.