The dielectric properties (conductivity, kappa and relative permittivity, epsilon) of excised rat lung are modified by lung air and water content. The measurements of these quantities were made over the frequency range of 10 kHz to 100 MHz with an open-ended coaxial probe. The following relationships were analyzed in an oleic acid-induced pulmonary edema model using 18 animals: the spectra Of kappa, epsilon and the loss tangent as a function of lung air and water content. Secondly, an isolated-perfused lung system was produced to induce a gradual increase in lung water. The time course Of kappa, epsilon and the loss tangent for one excised lung was analyzed. The principal findings were: (i) a decrease in kappa and epsilon with increasing air content, (ii) an increase in kappa and epsilon with increasing water content, and (iii) a good correlation between lung water content and maximum loss tangent that was insensitive to changes in air content.
We conclude that this technique could provide a quantitative assessment of lung water during pulmonary edema formation. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.