Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Morphometry of the human pulmonary acinus.

B Haefeli-Bleuer1, E R Weibel

  • 1Department of Anatomy, University of Berne, Switzerland.

The Anatomical Record
|April 1, 1988
PubMed
Summary

This study details the geometry of human lung acini, revealing airway branching patterns and dimensions. These findings help create a model of intraacinar airways for better understanding lung structure.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Fifty years of Weibel-Palade bodies: the discovery and early history of an enigmatic organelle of endothelial cells.

Journal of thrombosis and haemostasis : JTH·2012
Same author

A simple tool for stereological assessment of digital images: the STEPanizer.

Journal of microscopy·2011
Same author

Quantitative assessment of lung microstructure in healthy mice using an MR-based 3He lung morphometry technique.

Journal of applied physiology (Bethesda, Md. : 1985)·2010
Same author

How to make an alveolus.

The European respiratory journal·2008
Same author

[Nice lung, good lung? The morphometric basis of lung function].

Revue des maladies respiratoires·2004
Same author

An optimal bronchial tree may be dangerous.

Nature·2004

Area of Science:

  • Pulmonary Anatomy
  • Morphometry
  • Human Lung Structure

Background:

  • The acinus represents the functional gas-exchange unit of the human lung.
  • Understanding acinar geometry is crucial for respiratory physiology and disease modeling.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To quantitatively describe the geometry and morphometry of intraacinar airways in human lungs.
  • To develop an idealized model of the human acinar airway based on empirical data.

Main Methods:

  • Silicone rubber casts of adult human lungs were used.
  • Detailed measurements of airway dimensions, branching patterns, and alveolar structures were performed.
  • Dichotomous branching and generational changes in airway diameter were analyzed.

Main Results:

  • Average acinar volume is 187 mm3.
  • Intraacinar airways exhibit approximately 9 generations of dichotomous branching.
  • Internal airway diameter decreases from 500 to 270 microns, while outer diameter remains constant at 700 microns.
  • Alveolar size increases and alveolar clusters become more numerous towards the periphery.
  • Average longitudinal path length of acinar airways is 8.8 mm.

Conclusions:

  • The study provides key morphometric data for human acinar airways.
  • An idealized model of the human acinar airway was constructed.
  • This model can be integrated with existing models of the human bronchial tree.

Related Experiment Videos