[Position of cyticholine in pneumologic therapy]

The position of cyticholine in lung lipid metabolism and hence in pneumological therapy (the subject of a personal hypothesis) is discussed. A summary is given of personal experimental work and papers read at the 1974 Padua meeting (11th December) held by the Societas Europae Physiologiae Clinicae Respiratoriae. It is shown that cyticholine may: 1) prevent the onset of acute neonatal respiratory distress; 2) improve chronic pneumogenous respiratory insufficiency; 3) prevent postoperative hypoventilation; 4) improve ventilation mechanics in hyperelastic lung syndromes; 5) increase the gas permeability of the air-blood barrier; 6) counterbalance the loss of surfactants caused by endobronchial aspiration in patients with tracheal tubes.