1. The continuous line shows the time course of lung interstitial pressure when interstitial oedema develops (○).
The continuous line shows the time course of lung interstitial pressure when interstitial oedema develops (○). Note the marked increase in interstitial pressure for a minor change in extravascular water reflecting the very low compliance of the lung interstitial matrix. The dotted line shows the change in interstitial pressure when severe oedema develops (grey arrow). The decrease in pressure reflects the loss of integrity of the macromolecular structure of the extracellular matrix due to fragmentation of proteoglycans, which results in an increase in tissue compliance and in microvascular permeability. Restoring the filtration gradient leads to unopposed filtration and severe oedema (arrow). •: control.
G. Miserocchi Eur Respir Rev 2009;18:
©2009 by European Respiratory Society