Mechanical lung function is frequently assessed in terms of lung resistance (R L), lung elastance (E L), and airway resistance (R aw). These quantities are determined by measuring input impedance at various oscillation frequencies, and allow lung tissue resistance (R t) to be estimated as the difference between R L and R aw. These various parameters change in characteristic ways in the presence of lung pathology. In particular, the ratio R t/E L (known as hysteresivity, (η) has been shown both experimentally and in numerical simulations to increase when regional heterogeneities in mechanical function develop throughout the lung. In this study, we performed an analytical investigation of a two-compartment lung model and showed that while heterogeneity always leads to an increase in E L, η will increase only initially. When heterogeneity becomes extreme, η stops increasing and starts to decrease. However, there are no experimental reports of η decreasing under conditions in which heterogeneity would be expected to exist. We speculate that this is because liquid bridges invariably form across airway lumen that narrow to a certain point, thereby preventing them from achieving arbitrarily small non-zero radii. We also show that recruitment of closed lung units during lung inflation may lead to variables responses in both η and E L.
Similar content being viewed by others
REFERENCES
Allen, G., and J. H. Bates. Dynamic mechanical consequences of deep inflation in mice depend on type and degree of lung injury. J. Appl. Physiol. 96:293–300, 2004.
Allen, G., L. K. Lundblad, P. Parsons, and J. H. Bates. Transient mechanical benefits of a deep inflation in the injured mouse lung. J. Appl. Physiol. 93:1709–1715, 2002.
Allen, G. B., L. A. Pavone, J. D. Dirocco, J. H. Bates, and G. F. Nieman. Pulmonary impedance and alveolar instability during injurious ventilation in rats. J. Appl. Physiol., 2005.
Arold, S. P, R. Mora, K. R. Lutchen, E. P. Ingenito, and B. Suki. Variable tidal volume ventilation improves lung mechanics and gas exchange in a rodent model of acute lung injury. Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. 165:366–371, 2002.
Bates, J. H, K. A. Brown, and T. Kochi. Respiratory mechanics in the normal dog determined by expiratory flow interruption. J. Appl. Physiol. 67:2276–2285, 1989.
Bates, J. H, and A. M. Lauzon. A nonstatistical approach to estimating confidence intervals about model parameters: Application to respiratory mechanics. IEEE Trans. Biomed. Eng. 39:94–100, 1992.
Bates, J. H., and R. Peslin. Acute pulmonary response to intravenous histamine at fixed lung volume in dogs. J. Appl. Physiol. 75:405–411, 1993.
Fredberg, J. J., and D. Stamenovic. On the imperfect elasticity of lung tissue. J. Appl. Physiol. 67:2408–2419, 1989.
Gillis, H. L., and K. R. Lutchen. How heterogeneous bronchoconstriction affects ventilation distribution in human lungs: A morphometric model. Ann. Biomed. Eng. 27:14–22, 1999.
Gomes, R. F., X. Shen, R. Ramchandani, R. S. Tepper, and J. H. Bates. Comparative respiratory system mechanics in rodents. J. Appl. Physiol. 89:908–916, 2000.
Halter, J. M., J. M. Steinberg, H. J. Schiller, M. DaSilva, L. A. Gatto, S. Landas, and G. F. Nieman. Positive end-expiratory pressure after a recruitment maneuver prevents both alveolar collapse and recruitment/derecruitment. Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. 167:1620–1626, 2003.
Hantos, Z., A. Adamicza, E. Govaerts, and B. Daroczy. Mechanical impedances of lungs and chest wall in the cat. J. Appl. Physiol. 73:427–433, 1992.
Hantos, Z., B. Daroczy, B. Suki, S. Nagy, and J. J. Fredberg. Input impedance and peripheral inhomogeneity of dog lungs. J. Appl. Physiol. 72:168–178, 1992.
Hirai, T., and J. H. Bates. Effects of deep inspiration on bronchoconstriction in the rat. Respir. Physiol. 127:201–215, 2001.
Hirai, T., K. A. McKeown, R. F. Gomes, and J. H. Bates. Effects of lung volume on lung and chest wall mechanics in rats. J. Appl. Physiol. 86:16–21, 1999.
Hohlfeld, J. M., K. Ahlf, G. Enhorning, K. Balke, V. J. Erpenbeck, J. Petschallies, H. G. Hoymann, H. Fabel, and N. Krug. Dysfunction of pulmonary surfactant in asthmatics after segmental allergen challenge. Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. 159:1803–1809, 1999.
Ito, S., E. P. Ingenito, S. P. Arold, H. Parameswaran, N. T. Tgavalekos, K. R. Lutchen, and B. Suki. Tissue heterogeneity in the mouse lung: Effects of elastase treatment. J. Appl. Physiol. 97:204–212, 2004.
Kaczka, D. W., E. P. Ingenito, B. Suki, and K. R. Lutchen. Partitioning airway and lung tissue resistances in humans: Effects of bronchoconstriction. J. Appl. Physiol. 82:1531–1541, 1997.
Lindsley, W. G., S. H. Collicott, G. N. Franz, B. Stolarik, W. McKinney, and D. G. Frazer. Asymmetric and axisymmetric constant curvature liquid-gas interfaces in pulmonary airways. Ann. Biomed. Eng. 33:365–375, 2005.
Lutchen, K. R., J. L. Greenstein, and B. Suki. How inhomogeneities and airway walls affect frequency dependence and separation of airway and tissue properties. J. Appl. Physiol. 80:1696–1707, 1996.
Mishima, M., Z. Balassy, and J. H. Bates. Acute pulmonary response to intravenous histamine using forced oscillations through alveolar capsules in dogs. J. Appl. Physiol. 77:2140–2148, 1994.
Neumann, P., J. E. Berglund, E. F. Mondejar, A. Magnusson, and G. Hedenstierna. Effect of different pressure levels on the dynamics of lung collapse and recruitment in oleic-acid-induced lung injury. Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. 158:1636–1643, 1998.
Similowski, T., and J. H. Bates. Two-compartment modelling of respiratory system mechanics at low frequencies: Gas redistribution or tissue rheology? Eur. Respir. J. 4:353–358, 1991.
Suki, B., A. M. Alencar, J. Tolnai, T. Asztalos, F. Petak, M. K. Sujeer, K. Patel, J. Patel, H. E. Stanley, and Z. Hantos. Size distribution of recruited alveolar volumes in airway reopening. J. Appl. Physiol. 89:2030–2040, 2000.
Suki, B., H. Yuan, Q. Zhang, and K. R. Lutchen. Partitioning of lung tissue response and inhomogeneous airway constriction at the airway opening. J. Appl. Physiol. 82:1349–1359, 1997.
Takubo, Y., A. Guerassimov, H. Ghezzo, A. Triantafillopoulos, J. H. Bates, J. R. Hoidal, and M. G. Cosio. Alpha1-antitrypsin determines the pattern of emphysema and function in tobacco smoke-exposed mice: Parallels with human disease. Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. 166:1596–1603, 2002.
Thorpe, C. W, and J. H. Bates. Effect of stochastic heterogeneity on lung impedance during acute bronchoconstriction: a model analysis. J. Appl. Physiol. 82:1616–1625, 1997.
Tomioka, S., J. H. Bates, and C. G. Irvin. Airway and tissue mechanics in a murine model of asthma: alveolar capsule vs. forced oscillations. J. Appl. Physiol. 93:263–270, 2002.
Wagers, S., L. K. Lundblad, M. Ekman, C. G. Irvin, and J. H. Bates. The allergic mouse model of asthma: Normal smooth muscle in an abnormal lung? J. Appl. Physiol. 96:2019–2027, 2004.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This work was supported by NIH grants nos. R01 HL67273 and NCRR-COBRE P20 RR15557.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Bates, J.H.T., Allen, G.B. The Estimation of Lung Mechanics Parameters in the Presence of Pathology: A Theoretical Analysis. Ann Biomed Eng 34, 384–392 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10439-005-9056-6
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10439-005-9056-6