Queen Triggerfish perfused with BriteVu contrast agent

Jun 19, 2018 Off Comments in Fish
Queen Triggerfish perfused with BriteVu contrast agent

Queen Triggerfish (Balistes vetula) perfused with BriteVu.  The cardiovascular system of most fish is poorly studied.  The queen triggerfish is no exception and may in part be due to its armor like skin, deep narrow body and heart partially encased in bone making vascular access difficult.  BriteVu contrast agent has shown tremendous versatility and can be used under numerous conditions such as when perfusing new species.  To date, BriteVu has been used to perfuse numerous fish species.  A protocol using BriteVu and BriteVu Enhancer was developed to perform whole fish perfusions in effort to study the vasculature.  The CT was taken with the Epica Vimago system at 200µm.  Individual organs can be removed for more detailed CT scanning, histology, etc.

This was a contract study performed in conjunction with Scarlet Imaging.  The composite image shows various layers of vasculature that lie beneath the skin ventral to the pectoral fin.  Just inside of and below the pectoral fine sits the heart.  The vasculature emanating from the heart is now readily visible with the aid of BriteVu and a CT scan.

Courtesy of Dr Ken Simmons.