A study of the alveolar basement membrane in the normal and emphysematous human lung

This investigator studied the right upper lobe of the lung in 16 autopsy cases with 11 different systemic and pulmonary pathologies. Four of the lungs were diagnosed as normal, six as emphysematous, and six had other recognizable pathology. Portions of each lung were fixed in Bouin's solution, embedded in paraffin, and sectioned at five microns. They were stained with the Periodic Acid Stain and observed under the phase contrast microscope. The alveolar-capillary basement membrane appeared blue under phase contrast in comparison to the surrounding tissue which was red. There was no statistical difference found in the alveolar-capillary basement membrane width of normal lung versus the emphysematous lung or the lung of a case with any other pulmonary pathology that was studied. The phase contrast microscope proved to be a valuable tool for studying the basement membrane in the lung.Ball State UniversityMuncie, IN 47306Thesis (M.S.)--Ball State University, 1970