Dilly S A
Thorax. 1984 Oct;39(10):733-42. doi: 10.1136/thx.39.10.733.
Plastic corrosion casts were made of lungs from fetuses aged from 19 weeks' gestation to term and of lungs from a child and two adults to study the development of the respiratory acinus. To achieve reliable infusion of the most peripheral airspaces a high viscosity plastic was used that is not known to have been employed previously for corrosion casting of lungs. The casts were examined in the scanning electron microscope and showed the increase both in number and in length of the airways distal to the terminal bronchiole and also the change in shape and complexity of the most peripheral airspaces as the lung matures. The terminal airspaces change from short, simple, tubular endings at 19 weeks' gestation to short, shallow saccules from around 30 weeks' gestation to full term and contrast with the deep cup shaped alveoli in the adult. Measurements of the size of the terminal airspace at various stages of development are presented. This new approach, allowing three dimensional study of the peripheral airspaces of the developing lung, will be useful for investigating the lung pathology of neonates.
为研究呼吸腺泡的发育，制作了妊娠19周胎儿至足月胎儿以及一名儿童和两名成人肺部的塑料腐蚀铸型。为了可靠地灌注最外周的气腔，使用了一种高粘度塑料，此前未知该材料曾用于肺部的腐蚀铸型。在扫描电子显微镜下检查铸型，结果显示，随着肺成熟，终末细支气管远端气道的数量和长度均增加，最外周气腔的形状和复杂性也发生变化。终末气腔从妊娠19周时短而简单的管状末端，变为妊娠30周左右至足月时短而浅的囊泡，与成人深杯状肺泡形成对比。文中给出了不同发育阶段终末气腔大小的测量数据。这种新方法能够对发育中肺的外周气腔进行三维研究，将有助于新生儿肺部病理学的研究。
