Ventilation/Perfusion Relationships and Gas Exchange: Measurement Approaches

Abstract Ventilation‐perfusion () matching, the regional matching of the flow of fresh gas to flow of deoxygenated capillary blood, is the most important mechanism affecting the efficiency of pulmonary gas exchange. This article discusses the measurement of matching with three broad classes of techniques: (i) those based in gas exchange, such as the multiple inert gas elimination technique (MIGET); (ii) those derived from imaging techniques such as single‐photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), positron emission tomography (PET), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT), and electrical impedance tomography (EIT); and (iii) fluorescent and radiolabeled microspheres. The focus is on the physiological basis of these techniques that provide quantitative information for research purposes rather than qualitative measurements that are used clinically. The fundamental equations of pulmonary gas exchange are first reviewed to lay the foundation for the gas exchange techniques and some of the imaging applications. The physiological considerations for each of the techniques along with advantages and disadvantages are briefly discussed. © 2020 American Physiological Society. Compr Physiol 10:1155‐1205, 2020.