PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Francine Almeida
AU  - Beatriz Saraiva-Romanholo
AU  - Rodolfo Vieira
AU  - Henrique Moriya
AU  - Fernanda Lopes
AU  - Thais Mauad
AU  - Milton Martins
AU  - Rogerio Pazetti
TI  - Study of compensatory lung growth after right bilobectomy in a COPD experimental model
DP  - 2012 Sep 01
TA  - European Respiratory Journal
PG  - 3300
VI  - 40
IP  - Suppl 56
4099  - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/40/Suppl_56/3300.short
4100  - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/40/Suppl_56/3300.full
SO  - Eur Respir J2012 Sep 01; 40
AB  - Lung volume reduction surgery (LVRS) is one of the surgical approaches performed in COPD patients waiting for lung transplant. We hypothesized that compensatory lung growth (CLG) after LVRS is important to explain the improvement of life quality in these patients after LVRS. We investigated the CLG physiological effects after right bilobectomy (LBX) in a COPD rodent model. Sixty-four rats were assigned in 4 groups: saline+sham LBX (SS), saline+LBX (SO); elastase+sham LBX (ES); and elastase+LBX (EO). Forty days after instillation with elastase (5UI/100g) or saline, animals were underwent to sham surgery or right LBX (middle and cardiac lobes). Eight animals from each group were killed after 2 (T1) or 4 (T2) weeks and ventilatory parameters, lung tissue remodeling, gas exchange area and inflammatory cells were measured. All elastase-treated animals showed a typical destruction of lung parenchyma architecture with a decrease in elastic fibers amount (11.1±4.1 and 9.4±2.7%, saline and elastase, respectively, p<0.05) and an increase in average alveolar diameter (Lm) (66.5±6.1 and 94.3±18.6µm, saline and elastase, respectively, p<0.05) and collagen fibers proportion (8.6±1.6 and 11.7±1.4%, saline and elastase, respectively, p<0.05). The CLG observed in elastase-treated animals after LBX was followed by a decrease in Lm (94.1±13.9 and 76.8±10.9 µm, ES and EO, respectively, p<0.05), and an increase in lung elastance (1.2±0.1 and 1.6±0.3cmH2O/mL/s, ES and EO, respectively, p<0.05) and elastic fibers (8.5±1.1 and 13.1±1.1%, ES and EO, respectively, p<0.05). We conclude that the compensatory lung growth after LBX plays an important role in the improvement of lung elasticity and function in COPD animals.