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J Appl Physiol 95: 2345-2349, 2003; doi:10.1152/japplphysiol.00588.2003
8750-7587/03 $5.00
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Stiffness of the pleural surface of the chest wall is similar to that of the lung

Andrew Gouldstone,1,2 Richard E. Brown,2 James P. Butler,1 and Stephen H. Loring2

1Physiology Program, Harvard School of Public Health, and 2Department of Anesthesia, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachussetts 02215

Submitted 6 June 2003 ; accepted in final form 18 August 2003

To address the role of the parietal pleura in reduction of mesothelial shear stresses during breathing, we measured the stiffness of the parietal pleural surface of mammalian chest walls using microindentation. The pleural surface was indented over ribs and intercostal spaces with rigid flat punches (tip radii of 0.01, 0.02, and 0.1 cm) to probe stiffness at length scales comparable with those of surface asperities. We found a tissue shear modulus of 6,700 dyn/cm2 and pleural membrane tension of 4,900 dyn/cm, with a geometric standard deviation of 0.42. These values are similar to those measured for the lung by Hajji et al., using indentation (Hajji MA, Wilson TA, and Lai-Fook SJ. J Appl Physiol Respirat Environ Exerc Physiol 47: 175–181, 1979). Surprisingly, the pleural surface over ribs and intercostal spaces exhibited similar stiffness. In addition, caudal regions exhibited lower stiffness than cranial regions. In the context of elastohydrodynamic lubrication, these results suggest that shear-induced pressures during breathing deform the chest wall and lung surfaces to a similar extent, promoting spatial uniformity of pleural fluid thickness and reducing shear stresses.

pleural lubrication; pleural membrane; elastic moduli; indentation


Address for reprint requests and other correspondence: S. H. Loring, Dept. of Anesthesia, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 330 Brooline Ave., Boston, MA 02215 (E-mail: sloring{at}bidmc.harvard.edu).






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