Bronchial arterial devascularization. An experimental study in pigs

Objective-The lungs have dual blood supply: The bronchial and the pulmonary circulation. The importance of bronchial circulation is disputed. The purp ose of this study was to establish an experimental model to examine the imp ortance of the bronchial artery. Design-Comparative porcine experimental study. The surgical technique was e valuated in group A (n = 9). Group B (n = 8) underwent left bronchial arter ial devascularization. In group C (n = 9) the left principal bronchus was d evascularized, transsected, and reanastomosed. In groups B and C bronchial mucosal blood flow was studied with laser-Doppler velocimetry. Devasculariz ation was controlled by angiography at section, and specimens were examined with conventional histology and scanning electron microscopy. The right br onchus served as control. Results-In group B devascularization caused considerable, yet insignificant reduction in bronchial mucosal blood flow index (p = 0.1282) postoperative ly, and after 1 week (p = 0.0678), insignificant histologic (p > 0.2) chang es, and no scanning electron microscopy differences. In group C devasculari zation with bronchial transsection caused significant reduction in mucosal blood flow index (p = 0.0277) postoperatively and after 1 week (p = 0.0277) , significant histologic changes (p = 0.0277), and insignificant (p = 0.069 ) changes in scanning electron microscopy. Conclusion-Bronchial arterial devascularization with transsection caused si gnificant physiologic and morphologic changes, and a model with bronchial d evascularization should include transsection.