Microradiographic techniques for study for emphysema.

The difficulties encountered in studying the macro-anatomy of emphysema are somewhat similar to those that would be encountered in studying the holes of three-dimensional doughnuts with most of the doughnut gone. If the walls of a hollow three-dimensional polygon were intact, one might reasonably expect to reconstruct an image of its size and shape through study of serial sections. In emphysema, however, not only have many of the wall sections partially or totally disappeared, but many of the anchoring corner angles have either been distorted out of recognition or ruptured or retracted. If the difficulties of dealing with tissue almost as fragile as cobwebs are added to this, it is understandable why the anatomy of emphysema has been difficult. Taking advantage of newly developed beryllium-window X-ray tubes and of dryinflation fixation of lungs, we studied 146 lungs in the following manner: