Evaluation of endothelial injury in the human lung

The pulmonary endothelium plays a crucial role in the normal function of the lungs. Damage to the pulmonary endothelium is thought to be a primary event leading to deficits in pulmonary function in diverse forms of lung injury, but it is difficult to detect until these secondary deficits are manifest. Indicator dilution methods are practical for evaluation of endothelial function in patients. Interpretation of the information contained in the data is potentially complex, and specificity may be improved by using multiple indicators, each of which interacts with the endothelium in a different way. The general clinical utility of the methods is not yet established. However, encouraging experimental results, clinical studies, and improved technologies suggest that the methods have the potential to be of significant diagnostic and prognostic value.