The Effect of Tracheal Occlusion on Lung Branching in the Rat Nitrofen CDH Model

BACKGROUND: Fetal tracheal occlusion (TO) has been investigated as a treatment option for lung hypoplasia secondary to congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH). TO increases lung size, but it is unclear whether TO stimulates mature lung growth or simply induces alveolarization without concomitant bronchial development. In this study, we characterize bronchial branch development in fetal rats with CDH with or without TO through conventional …