Abstract
Previous experiments have not assessed the role of pulmonary development in cardiovascular morphogenesis. We studied this relationship by excising the left lung bud of chick embryos prior to completion of intracardiac septation. White leghorn eggs were incubated to Hamilton-Hamburger stages 28-29. Embryos were exposed by opening the shell and membranes. The left thoracic wall was incised, lung bud amputated, and embryos reincubated. After fixation in 10% formol in chick Ringer's, the lungs and pulmonary vessels were microdissected, measured and compared using ratios of lung volume. (L1/Lr) and diameters of pulmonary arteries (A1/Ar) and veins (V1/Vr). Intracardiac abnormalities were evaluated after removing the free wall of right and left ventricles. The 65 stage-matched control embryos included 30 with sham thoracic incisions. Of the 85 surviving embryos undergoing lung bud excision, 16 had diminished left lung volumes (L1/Lr ≥ .75), 17 had small pulmonary arteries (A1/Ar ≤ .86), all had small pulmonary veins (V1/Vr .82) which correlated with their small lung volume ratios and 13 (72%) had 1 or more ventricular septal defects (VSDs). Supracristal VSD was noted in 11 (61%) and membranous VSD in 2 (11%). Two control embryos had membranous VSD (3%). We conclude that since lung bud excision can alter cardiac as well as pulmonary morphology, it is important to evaluate cardiopulmonary morphogenesis if basic mechanisms underlying clinical anomalies of heart and lung are to be understood.
Article PDF
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Clark, E., Martini, D. & Rosenquist, G. EFFECT OF LUNG BUD EXCISION ON CARDIOPULMONARY DEVELOPMENT IN THE CHICK. Pediatr Res 11, 524 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-197704000-00927
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-197704000-00927