Lung vascular development: Implications for the pathogenesis of bronchopulmonary dysplasia

Past studies have primarily focused on how altered lung vascular growth and development contribute to pulmonary hypertension. Recently, basic studies of vascular growth have led to novel insights into mechanisms underlying development of the normal pulmonary circulation and the essential relationship of vascular growth to lung alveolar development. These observations have led to new concepts underlying the pathobiology of developmental lung disease, especially the inhibition of lung growth that characterizes bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). We speculate that understanding basic mechanisms that regulate and determine vascular growth will lead to new clinical strategies to improve the long-term outcome of premature babies with BPD.