Biomaterial Database

Alveolo-capillary membrane in primary pulmonary hypertension. 1986

S Villaschi, and G G Pietra

This study was undertaken to detect diagnostic ultrastructural changes in the alveolar walls in biopsies of patients with primary pulmonary hypertension (PPH). Open lung biopsies from 8 patients referred to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania were available for study. By light microscopy 4 patients were diagnosed as having plexogenic pulmonary arteriopathy, 2 thromboembolic arteriopathy and 2 veno-occlusive (PVOD) disease. In 4 patients the diagnosis of PPH was further confirmed at autopsy. Changes were observed in the basement membrane of the alveolar capillaries in 6 of the patients. These consisted in marked thickening and duplication of the basement membrane of alveolar capillaries in the 4 patients with the plexogenic form of pulmonary hypertension. Patients with PVOD instead showed uniform thickening of the basement membrane. No changes were detected in the 2 biopsies of patients with the thromboembolic form of PPH. We conclude that ultrastructural studies contribute significantly to the precise characterization of pathologic changes in the lungs of patients with PPH.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D006976	Hypertension, Pulmonary	Increased VASCULAR RESISTANCE in the PULMONARY CIRCULATION, usually secondary to HEART DISEASES or LUNG DISEASES.	Pulmonary Hypertension
D008297	Male		Males
D008854	Microscopy, Electron	Microscopy using an electron beam, instead of light, to visualize the sample, thereby allowing much greater magnification. The interactions of ELECTRONS with specimens are used to provide information about the fine structure of that specimen. In TRANSMISSION ELECTRON MICROSCOPY the reactions of the electrons that are transmitted through the specimen are imaged. In SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPY an electron beam falls at a non-normal angle on the specimen and the image is derived from the reactions occurring above the plane of the specimen.	Electron Microscopy
D011650	Pulmonary Alveoli	Small polyhedral outpouchings along the walls of the alveolar sacs, alveolar ducts and terminal bronchioles through the walls of which gas exchange between alveolar air and pulmonary capillary blood takes place.	Alveoli, Pulmonary,Alveolus, Pulmonary,Pulmonary Alveolus
D002196	Capillaries	The minute vessels that connect arterioles and venules.	Capillary Beds,Sinusoidal Beds,Sinusoids,Bed, Sinusoidal,Beds, Sinusoidal,Capillary,Capillary Bed,Sinusoid,Sinusoidal Bed
D005260	Female		Females
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D001485	Basement Membrane	A darkly stained mat-like EXTRACELLULAR MATRIX (ECM) that separates cell layers, such as EPITHELIUM from ENDOTHELIUM or a layer of CONNECTIVE TISSUE. The ECM layer that supports an overlying EPITHELIUM or ENDOTHELIUM is called basal lamina. Basement membrane (BM) can be formed by the fusion of either two adjacent basal laminae or a basal lamina with an adjacent reticular lamina of connective tissue. BM, composed mainly of TYPE IV COLLAGEN; glycoprotein LAMININ; and PROTEOGLYCAN, provides barriers as well as channels between interacting cell layers.	Basal Lamina,Basement Lamina,Lamina Densa,Lamina Lucida,Lamina Reticularis,Basement Membranes,Densas, Lamina,Lamina, Basal,Lamina, Basement,Lucida, Lamina,Membrane, Basement,Membranes, Basement,Reticularis, Lamina
D001706	Biopsy	Removal and pathologic examination of specimens from the living body.	Biopsies