Microfocal X-ray CT imaging and pulmonary arterial distensibility in excised rat lungs

The objective of this study was to develop an X-ray computed tomographic method for measuring pulmonary arterial dimensions and locations within the intact rat lung. Lungs were removed from rats and their pulmonary arterial trees were filled with perfluorooctyl bromide to enhance X-ray absorbance. The lungs were rotated within the cone of the X-ray beam projected from a microfocal X-ray source onto an image intensifier, and 360 images were obtained at 1 degrees increments. The three-dimensional image volumes were reconstructed with isotropic resolution using a cone beam reconstruction algorithm. The vessel diameters were obtained by fitting a functional form to the image of the vessel circular cross section. The functional form was chosen to take into account the point spread function of the image acquisition and reconstruction system. The diameter measurements obtained over a range of vascular pressures were used to characterize the distensibility of the rat pulmonary arteries. The distensibility coefficient alpha [defined by D(P) = D(0)(1 + alphaP), where D(P) is the diameter at intravascular pressure (P)] was approximately 2.8% mmHg and independent of vessel diameter in the diameter range (about 100 to 2,000 mm) studied.     

Gas trapping in excised rabbit lungs depends on volume history and method of degassing

Trapped gas volume (Vtg) was obtained after 5 and 10 repeated inflation-deflation cycles between transpulmonary pressure (Ptp) = 0 and 30 cmH2O in 12 experimental groups of freshly excised rabbit lungs. Gas flow rate was 1.0 ml/s except in one group (0.4 ml/s). In lungs degassed by O2 absorption (Dabs), Vtg increased from an initial 12-15% total lung capacity (TLC) (1st cycle) to 40% TLC (10th cycle), whereas in vacuum-degassed lungs (Dvac) the final Vtg was almost unchanged, remaining at less than 20% TLC. However, with the slower flow rate, Vtg in Dvac became 60% TLC. Increased lung water was not found in Dabs and therefore could not account for the above difference. In lungs not degassed after excision, Vtg increased roughly in proportion to the duration of passive collapse at Ptp = 0. However, a single brief exposure to a negative airway pressure (Pao = -10 cmH2O) resulted in a greater rate of increase of Vtg than 15-min collapse. When any of the foregoing groups were vacuum degassed after 5 cycles, they then resembled the Dvac group and showed almost no increase of Vtg in successive cycles. In Dvac, negative Pao and 15-min collapse had only minor effects on increasing Vtg. Thus, at a flow rate of 1 ml/s vacuum degassing almost eliminated all tendencies to trap gas in rabbit lungs, but the tendency was more than restored at slower flows. Brief airway closure by negative tracheal pressure can markedly enhance subsequent trapping of collapsed lungs. Differences arising from degassing methods might be due to effects on bronchomotor tone or on the physical characteristics of airway lining.