What's new in bronchial obstruction? Experimental pathology and clinico-pathologic correlation.
The aim of general pathology, which following Virchow also should be pathophysiology (and pathobiochemistry), is to elucidate general principles and main mechanisms of diseases. Conceptions like reticulo-endothelial system or coronary insufficiency, inflammations and its mediators, modes of metastasis and many comparable topics are examples of this type of scientific approach, and its tools are careful morphological analysis as well as experimental work of different kinds. In pulmonary pathology the obstruction of airways is one of the most important pathogenetical pathways. Among a broad spectrum of pulmonary diseases it is the main symptom of a developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and the outstanding cause of cardio-respiratory failure. In German literature the last comprehensive survey on general respiratory pathology was written some twenty years ago and a review of the main techniques of investigation was given at about the same time. Since then - parallel to the invention of new measuring techniques and to the progress in clinical pathophysiology - a rapid further development in the understanding of the pathology of respiratory disorders has taken place, particularly in connection with research in chronic bronchitis and emphysema. Some examples of this development and of the present state of discussion will be reviewed briefly.
D000402:Airway Obstruction; D000403:Airway Resistance; D006801:Humans; D008173:Lung Diseases, Obstructive / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D012129:Respiratory Function Tests