Richard M. Peters

An Experimental Study of the Effect of Chronic Atelectasis on Pulmonary and Bronchial Blood Flow

Four dogs and one patient with uncomplicated atelectasis of an entire lung were studied. Arterial oxygen saturations were nearly normal, indicating diminished flow to the atelectatic lung. Angiography confirmed this finding. Vinyl plastic injections showed no evidence of increased bronchial collateral circulation and pathological examination of the atelectatic lung did not demonstrate any bronchiectasis.

The significance of alterations in the lung arterial pattern.

Aknowledge of the arterial blood supply to the lungs, which can be determined by standard radiographic methods, may be helpful in establishing their physiologic status. Classical pulmonary function tests, such as the determination of vital capacity, maximal breathing capacity, and timed vital capacity, only measure ventilation; they do not evaluate perfusion of the lungs. A localized deficiency in ventilation is measured only as a total deficit in function by these methods unless a complicated technic such as bronchospirometry is used. The information about the lung circulation which is obtained by the radiographic procedures to be described, interpreted on the basis of well accepted pathophysiologic data, will aid in the evaluation of pulmonary abnormalities and in the selection of patients for surgical treatment. Material In order to demonstrate the clinical usefulness of such information, venous and aortic angiography was performed in dogs after the pattern of blood supply to the lungs had been altered...