Estimation of the volume of lung below the left atrium using computed tomography

Gravity has significant effects on the microvascular pressure in the lungs and thus on regional fluid filtration in the lungs. Below the level of the heart, gravity increases the microvascular pressure with respect to the left atrial pressure; above the level of the heart, microvascular pressure is less than atrial pressure. To assess the contribution of gravity to fluid filtration in the lungs independent of left-heart filling pressure, the distribution of lung volume above and below the left atrium must first be determined. To permit calculation of the contribution of hydrostatic pressure per unit of lung volume, 26 computed tomographic scans of the entire chest were traced and measured, marking the level of the center of the left atrium (LAL) on each slice. The intrathoracic volume above and below the left atrium was measured by multiplying scan slice thickness by the area of the lung above or below the LAL measured on each scan slice. On 16 scans, intrathoracic volumes of 1-cm horizontal layers of lung above and below the LAL were also calculated by measuring corresponding segments of the transverse scan slices. The calculations indicate that in the supine posture more lung is dependent than when upright, and that elevation of a patient to 30 degrees reduces the volume of lung below the LAL nearly as much as does the upright posture.