Scanning electron microscopic examination of human pulmonary capillaries using a latex replication method.

The human pulmonary microvasculature from the apical bronchopulmonary segment was studied by scanning electron microscopy using latex replicas. The latex replica was composed of a blend of vinyl chloride latexes using a plasticized vinyl chloride copolymer with a vinyl chloride copolymer. The polymerized latex produced a cast of the pulmonary arterial vascular tree, including the capillary patterns, which freely anastomose, thereby draining blood into pulmonary veinules and veins. The latex was injected via a gravity flow system modified from its earlier application in Guinea pig lungs. The apparently normal lungs from two recently deceased humans (dead for 5-6 hours and held in refrigeration) were perfused with heparinized Ringer's solution and subsequently injected with latex. The resulting latex casts of the capillaries revealed a three-dimensional network arranged in irregular vascular rings or ovals. This pattern was most conspicuous in deep and intermediate bronchopulmonary segmental areas. However, the subpleural capillaries produced casts that often terminated blindly, as observed with stereo SEm, suggesting that these vessels may tend to form thrombi more easily as compared with capillaries from other regions of the lung alveoli. The pulmonary arteriolar replicas contained indentations representing endothelial cell nuclei, and the capillary replicas projected oval evaginations that may represent discrete loci or capillary mural attenuations.