Journal of Applied Physiology, Vol 63, Issue 5 1890-1895, Copyright © 1987 by American Physiological Society
Regional extravascular density of the lung in patients with acute pulmonary edema
P. Wollmer, C. G. Rhodes, J. Deanfield, A. Rozkovec, R. M. Allan, A. Maseri and F. Fazio
Medical Research Council Cyclotron Unit, Hammersmith Hospital, London, United Kingdom.
The regional distribution of extravascular lung density (lung tissue and
interstitial or alveolar fluid per unit thoracic volume) and fractional
pulmonary blood volume (volume of blood per unit thoracic volume) was
measured in five patients with acute interstitial pulmonary edema and two
patients with acute alveolar edema. We found a uniform increase in
extravascular lung density in the patients with acute interstitial edema
but a preferentially dependent distribution in the patients with alveolar
edema. Fractional blood volume had an abnormally uniform distribution in
patients with interstitial edema. In alveolar edema, there was marked
redistribution of blood volume away from severely edematous regions. The
results are in agreement with previous experimental work with animal
models. The distribution of extravascular lung density and fractional blood
volume in subjects with acute interstitial edema is, however, different
from that found in subjects with chronic interstitial edema, suggesting
that the pathophysiological characteristics of the two conditions may be
different.
