Figure 4

Lymphatic vessels display similar size distribution among the study groups. (A-C) Mean perimeter of individual lymphatic vessels in (A) bronchiolar subepithelial tissue, (B) adventitia of bronchiole-associated arteries and (C) alveolar parenchyma in never smokers, smokers and patients with COPD. Horizontal lines indicate median value. (D-F) Size distribution of individual lymphatic vessels in (D) bronchiolar subepithelial tissue (n = 2491), (E) adventitia of bronchiole-associated arteries (n = 1169) and (F) alveolar parenchyma (n = 2073) in control subjects and patients with COPD. Each point represents the median percentage of the number of lymphatic vessels within each specific vessel perimeter range. (G) Size distribution of all lymphatic vessels in bronchiolar subepithelial tissue, adventitia of bronchiole-associated arteries and alveolar parenchyma when study groups are combined. Each point indicates the mean, and error bars indicate SEM.