INCREASED extravascular lung water (pulmonary edema) has been demonstrated in humans with cor pulmonale, a condition characterized by systemic venous hypertension (SVH), rather than the pulmonary venous hypertension (PVH) seen in classic cardiogenic pulmonary edema due to left heart failure. 1 The latter may additionally show systemic venous hypertension recognized by the clinician as distended neck veins, hepatic congestion and edema of the extremities. Various forms of noncardiogenic pulmonary edema also are accompanied by elevation of central venous pressure (CVP) which is independent of the level of pulmonary venous pressure.2 ' 3 It has been postulated that the lung fluid accumulation seen in cor pulmonale is a conse-

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