An asymmetrical model of the airways of the dog lung

Abstract

A resin cast of the bronchial tree of a dog was studied down to branches of 0.5-mm diameter. The branches were ordered, and the number of branches, mean diameter, and mean length of branches in each order were determined. The model was developed from these data with the property that delta, the difference in order between the two daughter branches at a bifurcation, is identical for all parent branches of a given order. This property facilitates the use of the model for the calculation of physiological variables such as input impedance (Fredberg and Hoenig, ASME J. Biomech. Eng. 100: 57–66, 1978), and the comparison of such results with those obtained from symmetrical models (Sidell and Fredberg, ASME J. Biomech. Eng. 100: 131–138, 1978).