IMAGING LUNG AERATION AND LUNG LIQUID CLEARANCE AT BIRTH USING PHASE CONTRAST X-RAY IMAGING

SUMMARY 1 The transition to extra‐uterine life at birth is critically dependent on airway liquid clearance to allow the entry of air and the onset of gaseous ventilation. We have used phase contrast X‐ray imaging to identify factors that regulate lung aeration at birth in spontaneously breathing term and mechanically ventilated preterm rabbit pups. 2 Phase contrast X‐ray imaging exploits the difference in refractive index between air and water to enhance image contrast, enabling the smallest air‐filled structures of the lung (alveoli;