Emphysema in the elderly

Emphysema is an over-inflation of the distal part of the terminal bronchioles (including respiratory bronchioles, alveolar ducts, alveolar sacs, and alveoli), with the destruction of the air cavity wall. In 1987, the American Thoracic Society (ATS) revised the definition of emphysema: "the irreversible expansion of the distal end of the bronchioles with the destruction of the alveolar wall, but no obvious fibrosis". The basic characteristic of emphysema is the excessive inflation of the lung tissue and obstruction of airflow in the ventilated part, so it is called "obstructive pulmonary emphysema".