6533b86dfe1ef96bd12ca876

RESEARCH PRODUCT

Computertomographie der Atelektase

subject

description

After breathing pure oxygen, total atelectasis of one lung was produced in ten dogs; its development and regression was followed by CT and by conventional radiology. 30 seconds after cessation of ventilation, it was possible to show a rise in CT density of the atelectatic lung from -764 +/- 32 HU to -739 +/- 49 HU. The average time from the cessation of ventilation to total atelectasis averaged 5.5 +/- 1.1 minutes. The earliest sign on conventional radiographs was often seen after 30 seconds and usually after 60 seconds and consisted of mediastinal displacement. Extensive atelectasis regressed in only one out of six animals within one hour after resuming ventilation. The experimental methods and results and the significance of the physiological findings in a clinical context are discussed.