Endo-microscopic access to the urinary bladder

With its wide-range of ProFlex flexible optical microprobes, Cellvizio is the first instrument capable of performing cystoscopy on a live rat. In this example, a ProFlex microprobe with a diameter less than 1 mm was inserted into the bladder by urethral endoscopy.

This in vivo image was obtained inside a live female rat's bladder with a non-invasive technique. To enhance the image detail, the cell nuclei of the bladder mucosa were Ar stained.

In this image, the bladder mucosa was stained with Rhodamine123 that, by enhancing the visibility of the cell’s cytoplasm, has made the large urothelial umbrella cells visible.

We can clearly see in these last two images that, where umbrella cells are not present, the underlying mucosa has a much higher cell density.

These images were produced with rats grafted with orthotopic bladder tumors and that have been treated with photodynamic therapy (PDT). Induced necrotic cells are stained for visualization. Courtesy of M.A.D'Hallewin, CAV, Nancy, France.

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