Ultrastructural changes of air-blood-barrier and surfactant in chronic non-specific lung diseases.

The study of changes of ultrastructure of air-blood-barrier components in comparison with indices of surfactant surface activity was carried out on fragments of lung tissue, cut from 36 patients with bronchiectasis, chronic abscess and fibrosis of post-pneumonic nature. Our data indicate, that in patients with chronic non-specific lung diseases the areas, more distant from the focus of affection, have changes, involving all the components of air-blood-barrier. Dystrophic and destructive processes, taking place in some pneumocytes of the 2nd type, result in suppression of the surface active characteristics of surfactant. On the other hand, processes of compensatory nature, directed to making up a deficiency of surfactant, take place.