![]() ![]() The morphologic characteristics of the human airways were greatly clarified by Weibel. The distance from the terminal bronchiole to the most distal alveolus is only approximately 5 mm, but the respiratory zone makes up most of the lung in terms of gas volume (some 2 to 3 L). This alveolated region of the lung where gas exchange takes place is known as the respiratory zone. ![]() The terminal bronchioles divide into respiratory bronchioles that have occasional alveoli budding from their wall, and these then transition to the alveolar ducts, structures that are completely lined with alveoli. Because the conducting airways contain no alveoli and therefore take no part in gas exchange, they constitute the anatomic dead space.Įach terminal bronchiole subtends a respiratory unit, or acinus. Their function is to channel inspired gas to the gas-exchanging regions of the lung. All these bronchi make up the conducting airways. This process continues down to the terminal bronchioles, which are the smallest airways without alveoli. There we saw that the airways consist of a series of branching tubes that become narrower, shorter, and more numerous as they penetrate deeper into the lung. The anatomy of the airways and the alveolar region of the lung is discussed in Chapter 1. ![]()
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