Abstract
The type and severity of underdevelopment of the lungs in infants with three congenital malformations were studied in histologic sections. The mean lung weight:body weight ratios were significantly decreased in infants who had diaphragmatic hernia, anencephaly, and a group of renal anomalies. Radial alveolar counts of the distal airways were also significantly decreased, although the range for each group included normal values. The data suggest that decreased proximal branching is a component of pulmonary hypoplasia in these malformations, because in the majority of infants, the decrease in lung weight was greater than could be explained by the decrease in the number of peripheral air spaces. No apparent qualitative differences in the type of hypoplasia were found in these infants; changes in the histologic appearance were correlated with severity and were independent of the type of associated malformation.
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