Arrest of alveolar multiplication in kyphoscoliosis.
A detailed morphometric study of the lungs of an adult patient with severe kyphoscoliosis of childhood onset is reported. The number of alveoli was less than the normal adult range and corresponded to the predicted values for a 12-month-old infant. This may have been a result of both premature cessation of alveolar multiplication as well as alveolar atrophy. The alveolar size was larger than normal suggesting that after cessation of alveolar multiplication further lung growth occurred by an excessive increase in alveolar size.
D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011650:Pulmonary Alveoli / Q000473:pathology*; D012600:Scoliosis / Q000473:pathology*