Recent advances in characterizing clearance of water from lungs

The investigation of pulmonary fluid balance has been hampered by the complexity of the factors involved. New techniques using cultured monolayers of alveolar epithelial cells have improved the study of the transport properties of the lung. Recent studies using isolated lung preparations and isolated alveolar epithelial cells give additional insight into the mechanisms and pathophysiology of alveolar pulmonary edema. There may be potential for new therapies of clinical pulmonary edema in humans.