ABSTRACT
In 22 chronic bronchitics with or without emphysema, the authors measured regional pulmonary perfusion in the supine position and calculated the ratios of radio-active tracer (131I-MAA) concentrations in the lung apices and bases (U/L ratio). This ratio was found to be normal in the right lung and tendentially high (though not to a statistically significant degree) in the left lung, this being probably due to the presence of an enlarged heart (13 patients showed evidence of right ventricle hypertrophy and/or overload). The correlation between the U/L ratio and functional impairment of respiration expressed spirometrically failed to reach statistical significance and the same was true of the correlation between the U/L ratio and mean pulmonary arterial pressure at rest.
