Reversal of pulmonary circulation.

The preliminary results and the technique of total reversal of the pulmonary circulation (RPC) are presented. Total RPC is technically feasible and not incompatible with life. It affords a new experimental model for in vivo study of pulmonary pathophysiology. The influence of this reversal on blood oxygenation, on pulmonary vascular resistance, and on established pulmonary hypertension, as well as its reaction to hypoxia and acidosis, needs further investigation. RPC may have clinical implications in essential pulmonary hypertension and congenital pulmonary vascular anomalies.