pulmonary arteriole

The pulmonary arteriole is a small arterial vessel that branches from the pulmonary arteries and is involved in delivering deoxygenated blood to the pulmonary capillaries and alveolar capillaries of the lungs for gas exchange.

Pulmonary arterioles are located within the lung parenchyma, coursing alongside bronchioles as part of the bronchovascular bundle before reaching the alveolar walls where gas exchange occurs.

The pulmonary arteriole is involved in regulating the distribution of deoxygenated blood to the alveolar capillaries, where carbon dioxide is exchanged for oxygen before blood returns to the left side of the heart.

Pulmonary arterial hypertension, pulmonary embolism, hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction, and interstitial lung disease may be associated with structural or functional changes in pulmonary arterioles.

Pulmonary arterioles may be assessed through right heart catheterization with hemodynamic measurements, CT pulmonary angiography, lung biopsy with histological analysis, or ventilation-perfusion scanning.