Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Thorax logoLink to Thorax
. 1972 May;27(3):265–274. doi: 10.1136/thx.27.3.265

Postnatal growth and function of the pre-acinar airways

Alison Hislop 1,2, D C F Muir 1,2, M Jacobsen 1,2, G Simon 1,2, Lynne Reid 1,2
PMCID: PMC472584  PMID: 5039441

Abstract

The postnatal growth of the pre-acinar or conducting airways of the lung was examined by measuring the dimensions of selected axial pathways in lungs at different stages of development. The material included both formalin-fixed specimens and bronchograms. A method of comparing the relative sizes of each part of the pathways was developed which allowed for differences between the number of branches or generations measured in each specimen. The results indicate that the pre-acinar airways of the infant may be regarded as a miniature version of those in the adult and that this relationship persists during postnatal growth. Each individual branch grows in a symmetrical fashion both in length and in diameter and bears a constant relation to the whole. The physiological function of the conducting airways during growth was investigated using published data on the breathing pattern of infants. Particular attention was given to the conditions of airflow, to the warming and humidification of inhaled air, and to the filtration of airborne dust.

Full text

PDF
265

Selected References

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

  1. BUCHER U., REID L. Development of the intrasegmental bronchial tree: the pattern of branching and development of cartilage at various stages of intra-uterine life. Thorax. 1961 Sep;16:207–218. doi: 10.1136/thx.16.3.207. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Boyden E. A., Tompsett D. H. The changing patterns in the developing lungs of infants. Acta Anat (Basel) 1965;61(2):164–192. doi: 10.1159/000142692. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. COOK C. D., CHERRY R. B., O'BRIEN D., KARLBERG P., SMITH C. A. Studies of respiratory physiology in the newborn infant. I. Observations on normal premature and full-term infants. J Clin Invest. 1955 Jul;34(7 Pt 1):975–982. doi: 10.1172/JCI103165. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Davies G., Reid L. Growth of the alveoli and pulmonary arteries in childhood. Thorax. 1970 Nov;25(6):669–681. doi: 10.1136/thx.25.6.669. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. HAYWARD J., REID L. M. Observations on the anatomy of the intrasegmental bronchial tree. Thorax. 1952 Mar;7(1):89–97. doi: 10.1136/thx.7.1.89. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. HEARD B. E. Pathology of pulmonary emphysema. Methods of study. Am Rev Respir Dis. 1960 Dec;82:792–799. doi: 10.1164/arrd.1960.82.6.792. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Hogg J. C., Williams J., Richardson J. B., Macklem P. T., Thurlbeck W. M. Age as a factor in the distribution of lower-airway conductance and in the pathologic anatomy of obstructive lung disease. N Engl J Med. 1970 Jun 4;282(23):1283–1287. doi: 10.1056/NEJM197006042822302. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Horsfield K., Cumming G. Morphology of the bronchial tree in man. J Appl Physiol. 1968 Mar;24(3):373–383. doi: 10.1152/jappl.1968.24.3.373. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. REID L., SIMON G. The peripheral pattern in the normal bronchogram and its relation to peripheral pulmonary anatomy. Thorax. 1958 Jun;13(2):103–109. doi: 10.1136/thx.13.2.103. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. REID L. The secondary lobule in the adult human lung, with special reference to its appearance in bronchograms. Thorax. 1958 Jun;13(2):110–115. doi: 10.1136/thx.13.2.110. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Thorax are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES