Elsevier

Respiration Physiology

Volume 11, Issue 1, December 1970–December 1971, Pages 54-75

Morphometric estimation of pulmonary diffusion capacity: I. Model and method

https://doi.org/10.1016/0034-5687(70)90102-7Get rights and content

Abstract

A model and method for estimating pulmonary diffusion capacity from morphometric information gathered on fixed lung specimens is presented. The model divides the diffusion resistance into four serial components: surface lining layer, tissue, plasma and red cells. The morphometric parameters defining these partial resistances, which can be determined on electron micrographs of lung sections by means of stereological methods, include the gas exchange surfaces, the capillary blood volume and hematocrit, and the harmonic mean thickness of the various layers. The merits and limitations of different methods of tissue preparation under “supravital” conditions are discussed and the basic stereological procedures necessary for deriving the parameters are outlined. The introduction of appropriate physical coefficients permits calculation of morphometric values of pulmonary (Dl) and membrane (Dm) diffusion capacities which can be used in attempts of quantitative structure-function correlation.

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    This work was supported by grant Nr. 3.5.68 from the Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der wissenschaftlichen Forschung.

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