Airway Change, Loss Before Emphysema Explain COPD MedPage Today Point out that using microCT, which can only be performed on isolated tissue, terminal bronchioles were narrowed and/or lost in lungs of patients with severe COPD who were undergoing lung transplantation, compared to lung specimens from healthy donors. ... Small-Airway Loss in COPD Accounts for Increased Resistance Small Airway Obstruction Heralds Emphysema in COPD |