Evaluating Lung Damage Using VILI Score

Cryosections (6 µm) were cut from the left lung lobe and subjected to hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining. At least five representative photographs were taken from each lung. In addition, five high-power fields were randomly assigned to each photograph. The degree of lung damage was determined in each power field using a modified VILI score: (1) thickness of the alveolar walls, (2) infiltration or aggregation of inflammatory cells, and (3) haemorrhage as described elsewhere [4] (link), [18] (link), [19] (link). The alveolar wall thickness was analyzed with Axiovision software (AxioVs4.0, Zeiss, Germany).