[Image analysis on pulmonary arterioles in chronic cor pulmonale].

Thickness and area of the vessel wall and caliber and area of the vessel lumen of pulmonary arterioles obtained from 13 cases of chronic cor pulmonale were analysed. The relative ratios of vessel lumen area/total area(EA/TA), vessel wall area/total area(WA/TA) and vessel wall thickness/vessel external diameter(WD/TD) were calculated with image analysor. The results showed that compared with the pulmonary arterioles in patients without cor pulmonale, the relative ratios of EA/TA decreased significantly, while the values of WA/TA and WD/TD increased significantly in those with cor pulmonale owing to chronic bronchitis and diffuse interstitial fibrosis. The results obtained are of meaning for quantitative study and diagnosis about the pathology of cor pulmonale.