Regional differences in alveolar density in the human lung are related to lung height

The gravity-dependent pleural pressure gradient within the thorax produces regional differences in lung inflation that have a profound effect on the distribution of ventilation within the lung. This study examines the hypothesis that gravitationally induced differences in stress within the thorax also influence alveolar density in terms of the number of alveoli contained per unit volume of lung. To test this hypothesis, we measured the number of alveoli within known volumes of lung located at regular intervals between the apex and base of four normal adult human lungs that were rapidly frozen at a constant transpulmonary pressure, and used microcomputed tomographic imaging to measure alveolar density (number alveoli/mm3) at regular intervals between the lung apex and base. These results show that at total lung capacity, alveolar density in the lung apex is 31.6 ± 3.4 alveoli/mm3, with 15 ± 6% of parenchymal tissue consisting of alveolar duct. The base of the lung had an alveolar density of 21.2 ± 1.6 alveoli/mm3 and alveolar duct volume fraction of 29 ± 6%. The difference in alveolar density can be negated by factoring in the effects of alveolar compression due to the pleural pressure gradient at the base of the lung in vivo and at functional residual capacity.