Terminal bronchiolar duct ending number does not increase post-natally in normal infants

Organ development may be assessed by estimating the total number of functional units within an organ over time; the potential functional capacity of that organ may be represented by the total number of functional units present in the fully developed, mature organ. Relative development of the lung at birth is essential to provide sufficient oxygenation of body tissues and so maintain ex utero life. Estimation of the number of one type of functional unit of the lung - terminal bronchiolar duct endings - provides important information regarding development of the lung. This investigation used stereological techniques, specifically Cavalieri's Principle and the "physical disector", to estimate total number of terminal bronchiolar duct endings in the upper lobe of the right lung of a group of 14 control infants between 0 and 66 weeks post-natal age. Results demonstrate that total terminal bronchiolar duct ending number does not increase significantly over the first 24 weeks of post-natal life in normal infants (P = 0.997). The unbiased, design-based techniques used in this paper confirm previous model-based research that indicates that terminal bronchiolar duct ending: development is completed before birth. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.