Number of capillary segments in the alveolar capillary network (ACN) in lung

Range 2.77×10^11 capillary segments
Organism Human Homo sapiens
Reference Weibel ER, Gomez DM . Architecture of the human lung. Science 137: 577–585, 1962.PubMed ID26432874
Method Abstract: "Here, [investigators] present a new stereological method to estimate the number of capillary loops in the ACN [alveolar capillary network]. One advantage of this method is that it is independent of the shape, size, or distribution of the capillaries. [They] used consecutive, 1 μm-thick sections from epoxy resin-embedded material as a physical disector. The Euler-Poincaré characteristic of capillary networks can be estimated by counting the easily recognizable topological constellations of "islands," "bridges," and "holes.""
Entered by Uri M
ID 113844