intrapulmonary shunt

Etiology

• shunting of blood through a collapsed lung

Pathology

• perfusion of non-ventilated alveoli
• in most cases hypoxic vasoconstriction of arterioles in non-ventilated parts of the lung mitigates effects of intrapulmonary shunting
• in other cases, compensatory vascocontriction is ineffective

Clinical manifestations

• hypoxia that does not correct with supplemental oxygen

More general terms

• ventilation-perfusion (VQ) mismatch