The development of intravital microscopy (IVM) has enabled researchers to perform in-situ, real-time observations of pulmonary micro-circulation at the cellular level, and has become instrumental for researching the immune micro-environment of pulmonary diseases. This article introduces the developments in constructing the pulmonary imaging window and summarizes the current light microscopy techniques used for lung IVM with regard to its relevant functional and application features, which includes wide field fluorescence microscopy, confocal microscopy, as well as two-photon microscopy. It then provides examples of IVM of pulmonary immune response in inflammation and infection in murine models, and finally specifies the technological limitations to provide reference for researchers to systematically learn and understand the technology.
