Thepores of Kohn (also known asinteralveolar connections oralveolar pores) are discrete holes inwalls of adjacentalveoli.[1] Cuboidaltype II alveolar cells, which producesurfactant, usually form part of aperture.[2]
The pores of Kohn take their name from the German physician and pathologist Hans Nathan Kohn (1866–1935) who first described them in 1893.[3][4]
They are absent in human newborns. They develop at 3–4 years of age along withcanals of Lambert during the process of thinning of alveolar septa.[5][2]
The pores allow the passage of other materials such as fluid and bacteria, which is an important mechanism of spread of infection inlobar pneumonia and spread of fibrin in thegrey hepatisation phase of recovery from the same. They also equalize the pressure in adjacent alveoli and, combined with increased distribution of surfactant, thus play an important role in prevention ofcollapse of the lung.[6]
Unlike adults, in children these inter-alveolar connections are poorly developed which aids in limiting the spread of infection. This is thought to contribute toround pneumonia.[7]
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