Advances in arrested late lung development and bronchopulmonary dysplasia

Abstract

The process of late lung development is disturbed in bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). One of the keys in late lung development is secondary septation, in which secondary septa arise from primary septa, producing plenty of small alveoli, which significantly increase the surface area of gas exchange.Secondary septation, together with architectural changes to the vascular structure of the lung which minimize the distance between the blood and the inspired air, are the targets of late lung development.BPD is a disease of premature infants in which development of the alveoli is stunted caused by many factors including volutrauma, inflammation, and oxygen toxicity.Compared with early lung development, the later development of the immature lung remains unclear.This paper is to emphasize remarkable latest research of arrested late lung development and BPD. Key words: Bronchopulmonary dysplasia; Alveolarization; Lung development; Preterm infant