Alveolar Hypoxia,Differential Effects on Pulmonary Arteries of Varied Size 1

Summary

Mice were kept in a 12% oxygen environment for 12–24 days. The necropsy findings were compared with findings in nonhypoxic polycythemic and normovolemic controls. The 25 hypoxic and 21 polycythemic mice developed an increased right ventricular weight. Quantitative histologic analysis demonstrated that hypoxia but not polycythemia led to a marked medial hyperplasia in small pulmonary arteries, a small hyperplasia in intermediate sized arteries and no change in the largest muscular pulmonary arteries.