Abstract
This chapter presents the comparison of intralymphatic and tissue pressure in the edematous bat wing. The data obtained from the present study indicates that the contractile terminal lymphatics in the bat wing generate a small but significant suction upon the interstitium during the relaxation phase of their contractile cycle. The pressure gradient thus established should be adequate to move interstitial fluid into the terminal lymphatics in the process of lymph formation. This study has shown that although there is an inwardly directed pressure gradient across the lymphatic wall during part of the contractile cycle, the average pressure gradient over the entire cycle is such that net flow should be in the retrograde direction. There is considerable anatomical evidence that endothelial gap junctions in the terminal lymphatic walls may act as flap-like valves producing the necessary rectifying action. It has been shown that the lymphatic anchoring elements attach to the abluminal but not the luminal flap of the frequent overlapping gap junctions in the lymphatic wall.
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