Journal of Applied Physiology, Vol 57, Issue 5 1393-1398, Copyright © 1984 by American Physiological Society
Regional interdependence in calf lungs
N. E. Robinson, R. Ingersoll, R. F. Slocombe and L. E. Olson
We measured K, an index of interdependence in sublobar segments of both
intact and excised calf lungs. In excised and intact lungs, segment volume
was held constant while the lung was inflated. K in excised lungs was of
small magnitude but was greater in caudal than in cranial and middle lobes.
When isolated segments in a variety of regions and with a variety of shapes
were studied, K was positively correlated with the interface area between
the segment and the remainder of the lung, was negatively correlated with
the pleural surface area of the segment, but was not correlated with
segment volume. In a given region of lung, however, small segments had a
greater interdependence than large segments. In intact lungs of
anesthetized calves, K was an order of magnitude greater than in excised
lungs, confirming that the chest wall is the major determinant of
interdependence. There were no lobar differences in K in intact lungs.
