The Annals of Thoracic Surgery, Vol 50, 277-280, Copyright © 1990 by The Society of Thoracic Surgeons
Decreased vascular compliance after reimplantation of the left lower lobe in young pigs
AM Johnson, WG Teague, TL Flanagan, ED McGahren and IL Kron
University of Virginia Health Sciences Center, Charlottesville.
The effects of chronic denervation on pulmonary vasculature are not well
understood. Three groups of young pigs were prepared: (1) those receiving
sham thoracotomy, (2) those having left upper lobectomy alone (innervated
left lower lobe), and (3) those receiving left pneumonectomy followed by
reimplantation of the left lower lobe (denervated left lower lobe). At 10
weeks after operation, animals were anesthetized and instrumented for
study. No changes in baseline pulmonary artery pressure, pulmonary
capillary wedge pressure, cardiac output, or pulmonary vascular resistance
were observed. With diversion of the entire cardiac output to the left lung
or lobe, however, the group with reimplanted lobes had a significantly
higher pulmonary artery pressure and pulmonary vascular resistance than the
other groups. This may result from chronic denervation of the pulmonary
vasculature and receptor upregulation.