Schlesinger R B, McFadden L A
Anat Rec. 1981 Jan;199(1):99-108. doi: 10.1002/ar.1091990110.
The length, diameter, and angle of branching of all airways through the sixth level of branching below the trachea were measured on corrosion casts prepared from the lungs of two animals whose bronchial geometry has not previously been studied, namely the donkey and the rabbit. These measurements and morphometric data for the rat, hamster, dog, and human obtained from other sources were analyzed and compared. The case prepared from human lungs exhibited an airway geometry that was clearly distinct from that shown by the nonhuman species. The human upper bronchial tree was the most symmetrical with respect to airway diameter and angle of branching. In all species studied, airway length was the most irregular parameter. The reasons for differences in branching geometry are not clearly understood. However, when attempting to determine whether a particular species may be used as a model for man in inhalation toxicology, and in the subsequent interpretation of animal data, an appreciation of differences in airway morphometry is essential.
在由两只此前未对其支气管几何结构进行过研究的动物（即驴和兔）的肺制备的腐蚀铸型上，测量了气管以下直至第六级分支的所有气道的长度、直径和分支角度。对从其他来源获得的大鼠、仓鼠、狗和人类的这些测量值及形态测量数据进行了分析和比较。由人类肺制备的铸型显示出的气道几何结构明显不同于非人类物种所显示的结构。人类的上支气管树在气道直径和分支角度方面最为对称。在所有研究的物种中，气道长度是最不规则的参数。分支几何结构差异的原因尚不清楚。然而，在试图确定某一特定物种是否可作为人类吸入毒理学模型以及在随后对动物数据的解释中，认识到气道形态测量学的差异至关重要。
