Giro Todo

Bronchial Venous Plexus and Its Communication with Pulmonary Circulation

This study was undertaken to clarify the microvascular anatomy of the normal human bronchial circulation, focusing on the bronchial venous system and its communication with the pulmonary circulation. Ten normal lungs obtained at autopsy were studied. Bronchial arteriography was performed in six lungs, pulmonary arteriography in two lungs, and pulmonary venography in another two. Using radiologic methods, including microradiography, and serial histologic sections, we found numerous bronchial venous plexuses around the airways and blood vessels into which the bronchial capillaries drained. Frequent communications of the venous plexuses with the pulmonary veins and neighboring alveolar capillaries were also demonstrated. The bronchial venous plexus and its close connection with the pulmonary circulation may be important in various pathologic conditions involving the interstitial space, such as interstitial pulmonary edema.

Intralobular distribution of oleic acid-induced pulmonary edema in the pig. Evaluation by high-resolution CT.

The objective of this study was to elucidate the features of experimentally induced pulmonary edema at the lobular level, using high-resolution CT (HRCT) with pathological correlation. We selected the pig as the experimental animal because the pig has well-defined pulmonary lobules. Twelve Yorkshire pigs were included in this study. Five animals were used for studying normal anatomy of the pig lung. Pulmonary edema was induced by oleic acid infusion in 7 pigs. All computed tomographic (CT) scans were performed on a GE 9800 scanner, using 1.5 mm slice-thickness, 16 cm field of view with 512 X 512 matrix and bone reconstruction algorithm. The animals were killed after CT scans and the lungs were removed, inflated, fixed and dried, and subsequently sliced in sections which corresponded to the CT sections. Using CT images, specimen radiography, and histology, we studied the intralobular distribution of pulmonary edema in selected lobules of each animal. Oleic acid infusion caused multifocal hemorrhagic pulmonary edema within the pulmonary lobule. The distribution was uneven and areas surrounding the lobular bronchi were less involved. HRCT permits evaluation of morphological changes of oleic acid-induced pulmonary edema at the lobular level. The intralobular distribution of the lesions may provide additional information about the mechanism of permeability pulmonary edema.