USA Surgery Today

Although all lung disease is not explained by embryology gone awry, an appreciation of the lung in health and disease is based on an understanding of its normal development. The normal function of the lung is dependent on the coordinated development of the airway conducting system in conjunction with a specialized vasculature within an active interstitial matrix. Branching morphogenesis, vasculogenesis, angiogenesis, physical growth, and biochemical maturation must occur in a coordinated fashion. This complex developmental process must be both temporally and spatially controlled.