Alveolar sac


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aerosol clearance

The alveolar region has the slowest rate of particle clearance in the entire respiratory system, unless the particles are water-soluble, in which case they are cleared readily by dissolution. Water-insoluble particles in the respiratory bronchioles and alveoli are removed by cellular means, principally by macrophages—scavenger cells that engulf cellular debris in the body by a process...

pulmonary alveolus

The alveoli and capillaries in the lungs exchange oxygen for carbon dioxide. Imbalances in the exchange of these gases can lead to dangerous respiratory disorders, such as respiratory acidosis or hyperventilation. In addition, accumulation of fluid in the alveolar spaces can interfere with gas exchange, causing symptoms such as shortness of breath.
The alveoli form clusters, called alveolar sacs, that resemble bunches of grapes. By the same analogy, the alveolar ducts leading to the sacs are like the stems of individual grapes, but, unlike grapes, the alveolar sacs are pocketlike structures made up of several individual alveoli.


...the alveoli are so densely packed along the airway that an airway wall proper is missing; the airway consists of alveolar ducts. The final generations of the airway tree end blindly in the alveolar sacs.
alveolar sac
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