title: Regional lung perfusion and pulmonary artery pressure in chronic obstructive lung disease.
abstract: In 22 chronic bronchitics with or without emphysema, the authors measured regional pulmonary perfusion in the supine position and calculated the ratios of radio-active tracer (131I-MAA) concentrations in the lung apices and bases (U/L ratio). This ratio was found to be normal in the right lung and tendentially high (though not to a statistically significant degree) in the left lung, this being probably due to the presence of an enlarged heart (13 patients showed evidence of right ventricle hypertrophy and/or overload). The correlation between the U/L ratio and functional impairment of respiration expressed spirometrically failed to reach statistical significance and the same was true of the correlation between the U/L ratio and mean pulmonary arterial pressure at rest.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001794:Blood Pressure; D001991:Bronchitis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006332:Cardiomegaly; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006976:Hypertension, Pulmonary; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011187:Posture; D011652:Pulmonary Circulation; D012119:Respiration; D012907:Smoking; D013147:Spirometry