Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med., Volume 159, Number 3, March 1999, 1005-1013

Morphometric Analysis of Bronchial Cartilage in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Bronchial Asthma

MASAHIKO HARAGUCHI, SANAE SHIMURA, and KUNIO SHIRATO

First Department of Internal Medicine, Tohoku University School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan

To clarify the changes in bronchial cartilage in diseased airways, we performed morphometric analysis of airways in autopsied lungs of 16 patients with chronic bronchitis (Group CB), pulmonary emphysema (Group PE), and bronchial asthma (Group BA), and in control patients without respiratory diseases (Group CN). Although degeneration of bronchial cartilage was clearly observed in airways from all groups except Group CN, the most extreme change was seen in Group CB. Increased perichondrial fibrosis was observed in both Groups CB and BA, and the more extreme change was seen in Group BA. Both the area proportions of degenerated cartilage (Deg%) and perichondrial fibrosis (Fib%) to total cartilage in bronchi (3 to 8 mm in diameter), cut vertically in the cross-section profile, were measured with a digitizing tablet coupled to a computer. No significant differences in the area proportion of cartilage to bronchial wall were observed among the four study groups. The Deg% values of Groups CB (mean: 15.4%), BA (mean: 12.9%), and PE (mean: 9.6%) were significantly higher than those of Group CN (mean: 1.0%) (p < 0.01 in each case). The Deg% values correlated significantly with the number of neutrophils in the bronchial walls (r = 0.63, p < 0.01). Both Group CB (mean: 28.5%) and Group BA (mean: 33.6%) showed significantly higher values of Fib% than did Group CN (mean: 18.5%) (p < 0.01, each), and the value for Group PE (mean: 21.8%) was slightly increased (p < 0.05). The values of Fib% correlated significantly with the number of eosinophils in the bronchial walls (r = 0.51, p < 0.05), thickness of basement membrane (r = 0.77, p < 0.0002), bronchial gland area (r = 0.56, p < 0.02), and goblet-cell area (r = 0.55, p < 0.02). Further, the values of Deg% correlated significantly with those of Fib% (r = 0.64, p < 0.01). These findings indicate that airways in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and bronchial asthma have both degenerative changes in the cartilage (chondrocytes) and increased perichondrial fibrosis, and that these alterations in bronchial cartilage may differ in chronic bronchitis and bronchial asthma.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				C. Bergeron, W. Al-Ramli, and Q. Hamid Remodeling in Asthma Proceedings of the ATS, May 1, 2009; 6(3): 301 - 305. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				C. Bergeron, M. K. Tulic, and Q. Hamid Tools used to measure airway remodelling in research Eur. Respir. J., March 1, 2007; 29(3): 596 - 604. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				C. Bergeron and L.-P. Boulet Structural changes in airway diseases: characteristics, mechanisms, consequences, and pharmacologic modulation. Chest, April 1, 2006; 129(4): 1068 - 1087. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				P. Berger, V. Perot, P. Desbarats, J. M. Tunon-de-Lara, R. Marthan, and F. Laurent Airway Wall Thickness in Cigarette Smokers: Quantitative Thin-Section CT Assessment Radiology, June 1, 2005; 235(3): 1055 - 1064. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. Niimi, H. Matsumoto, M. Takemura, T. Ueda, K. Chin, and M. Mishima Relationship of Airway Wall Thickness to Airway Sensitivity and Airway Reactivity in Asthma Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med., October 15, 2003; 168(8): 983 - 988. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				T. Vehmas, L. Kivisaari, M.S. Huuskonen, and M.S. Jaakkola Effects of tobacco smoking on findings in chest computed tomography among asbestos-exposed workers Eur. Respir. J., May 1, 2003; 21(5): 866 - 871. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. Matsuoka, K. Uchiyama, H. Shima, N. Ueno, S. Oish, and Y. Nojiri Bronchoarterial Ratio and Bronchial Wall Thickness on High-Resolution CT in Asymptomatic Subjects: Correlation with Age and Smoking Am. J. Roentgenol., February 1, 2003; 180(2): 513 - 518. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				L. Michalec, B. K. Choudhury, E. Postlethwait, J. S. Wild, R. Alam, M. Lett-Brown, and S. Sur CCL7 and CXCL10 Orchestrate Oxidative Stress-Induced Neutrophilic Lung Inflammation J. Immunol., January 15, 2002; 168(2): 846 - 852. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				Y. NAKANO, S. MURO, H. SAKAI, T. HIRAI, K. CHIN, M. TSUKINO, K. NISHIMURA, H. ITOH, P. D. PARÉ, J. C. HOGG, et al. Computed Tomographic Measurements of Airway Dimensions and Emphysema in Smokers . Correlation with Lung Function Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med., September 1, 2000; 162(3): 1102 - 1108. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				H. TIDDENS, M. SILVERMAN, and A. BUSH The Role of Inflammation in Airway Disease . Remodeling Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med., August 1, 2000; 162(2): S7 - 10. [Full Text] [PDF]