
289
13.1 Introduction
Multiphoton excitation microscopy provides a powerful means to study the macromolecular micro-
structure of the arterial vascular bed. e multiphoton eect restricts excited light to the focal spot,
allowing optical sectioning without the need for a confocal pinhole. is provides greatly improved
photon collection eciency (compared with single-photon confocal imaging), while maintaining three-
dimensional submicrometric spatial resolution. Moreover, owing to the reduced tissue scattering of
near-infrared excitation beams, deeper tissue penetration with minimal tissue damage can be attained.
ough second- and higher-order ...