肺胞領域における死後変化の電顕的観察

抄録

Ultrastructural changes in postmortal organs provide basic data for organ preservation. The author observed the fine structure of postmortal canine lung by transmission electron microscope for up to six hours.
Dilatation and vacuolization were found at endoplasmic reticula both in type I and II pneumocytes at 15 minutes.
Epithelial cells were detached from their basement membrane suggesting functional dissociation between epithelia and capillaries, and irregular dark bodies appeared in nuclei which could not be observed in normal ones, at one hour.
Vacuolated endothelial cells appeared showing darkened cytoplasm with abnormal bodies in the nuclei at two hours. Obvious changes occurred in type I pneumocytes such as pyknotic nuclei, lack of smoothness at cytoplasmic and nuclear membranes, and swollen and crumbled mitochondria from four to six hours.
In conclusion post-mortem one hour is considered to be the limit for tissue survival of the lung under ischemic conditions.