Pulmonary vascular changes induced by unilateral pulmonary venous obstruction

The relation of pulmonary hemodynamics to pathological change in the pulmonary vasculature was examined in a model of unilateral pulmonary venous (PV) obstruction. The left upper pulmonary vein (A group, n=6) or both the left upper and left lower pulmonary veins (B group, n=6) of two-week-old piglets were banded; the control group (n=6) was sham operated. At eight weeks after PV banding, mean pulmonary arterial pressure was highest in the B group, intermediate in the A group and lowest in the control group. In all groups, the media of the pulmonary artery was equally thickened in both lungs, whereas the media of the pulmonary vein was thickened only in those lung lobes having stenotic pulmonary veins. For all animals from three groups, left pulmonary arterial wedge pressure (PAWP) correlated with medial thickness of the pulmonary arteries of the right lung (r=0.76, p=0.003), the left upper lobe (r=0.54, p<0.03), the left lower lobe (r=0.49, p=0.04). This finding suggests that the pathogenesis of PAWP-related medial thickening of the bilateral lung pulmonary artery begins with the sensing by the bilateral lung of PV pressure buildup in the unilateral lung.