Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Thorax logoLink to Thorax
. 1976 Jun;31(3):315–319. doi: 10.1136/thx.31.3.315

Quantitation of thick-walled peripheral lung vessels in chronic airways obstruction.

K W Scott
PMCID: PMC470430  PMID: 941117

Abstract

The number of thick-walled peripheral lung vessels (defined as vessels of less than 100 mu diameter with two distinct elastic laminae) was calculated in 50 postmortem lungs. The size of the right ventricle, the amount and type of emphysema, and the proportion of small airways lumen in the lung were also quantitated. Eighteen patients had died as a result of chronic airways obstruction, 17 had symptoms of chronic chest disease but died from some unrelated cause, and 15 had no symptoms related to the respiratory system. The mean number of thick-walled peripheral lung vessels (TWPV) was found to be significantly greater in the fatal disease group than in both of the other groups. No significant difference was found between the mean values of the symptomatic and asymptomatic groups. The mean number of TWPV was significantly greater in cases with a right ventricular weight of more than 80 g than in those with a weight of less than 65 g. Positive correlations were found between the number of TWPV and right ventricular weight, total amount of emphysema in the lung, and the amounts of centrilobular and panlobular emphysema. Significant negative correlations were found between the number of TWPV and both the ratio of the weight of the left ventricle to the right ventricle and the proportion of small airways lumen in the lung.

Full text

PDF
315

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Bignon J., Andre-Bougaran J., Brouet G. Parenchymal, bronchiolar, and bronchial measurements in centrilobular emphysema. Relation to weight of right ventricle. Thorax. 1970 Sep;25(5):556–567. doi: 10.1136/thx.25.5.556. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Bignon J., Khoury F., Even P., André J., Brouet G. Etude anatomique quantitative des broncho-pneumopathies chroniques obstructives: résultats préliminaires. Individualisation de formes avec bronchiolosténoses disséminées. Rev Tuberc Pneumol (Paris) 1968 Mar;32(2):207–244. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. FULTON R. M., HUTCHINSON E. C., JONES A. M. Ventricular weight in cardiac hypertrophy. Br Heart J. 1952 Jul;14(3):413–420. doi: 10.1136/hrt.14.3.413. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. HEARD B. E. A pathological study of emphysema of the lungs with chronic bronchitis. Thorax. 1958 Jun;13(2):136–149. doi: 10.1136/thx.13.2.136. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. HEATH D., EDWARDS J. E. The pathology of hypertensive pulmonary vascular disease; a description of six grades of structural changes in the pulmonary arteries with special reference to congenital cardiac septal defects. Circulation. 1958 Oct;18(4 Pt 1):533–547. doi: 10.1161/01.cir.18.4.533. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Hasleton P. S., Heath D., Brewer D. B. Hypertensive pulmonary vascular disease in states of chronic hypoxia. J Pathol Bacteriol. 1968 Apr;95(2):431–440. doi: 10.1002/path.1700950213. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Hicken P., Heath D., Brewer D. B., Whitaker W. The small pulmonary arteries in emphysema. J Pathol Bacteriol. 1965 Jul;90(1):107–114. doi: 10.1002/path.1700900111. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Hunter C., Barer G. R., Shaw J. W., Clegg E. J. Growth of the heart and lungs in hypoxic rodents: a model of human hypoxic disease. Clin Sci Mol Med. 1974 Mar;46(3):375–391. doi: 10.1042/cs0460375. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Matsuba K., Thurlbeck W. M. The number and dimensions of small airways in nonemphysematous lungs. Am Rev Respir Dis. 1971 Oct;104(4):516–524. doi: 10.1164/arrd.1971.104.4.516. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. NAEYE R. L. Hypoxemia, effects on the pulmonary vascular bed. Med Thorac. 1962;19:494–501. doi: 10.1159/000192257. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. O'NEAL R. M., THOMAS W. A., HARTROFT P. M. The media of small muscular pulmonary arteries in mitral stenosis. AMA Arch Pathol. 1955 Sep;60(3):267–270. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Scott K. W. A PATHOLOGICAL study of the lungs and heart in fatal and non-fatal chronic airways obstruction. Thorax. 1976 Feb;31(1):70–79. doi: 10.1136/thx.31.1.70. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. WAGENVOORT C. A. Vasoconstriction and medial hypertrophy in pulmonary hypertension. Circulation. 1960 Oct;22:535–546. doi: 10.1161/01.cir.22.4.535. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Thorax are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES