@viscera3d: The respiratory cycle is a coordinated physiological process that drives pulmonary ventilation through dynamic changes in thoracic volume and transpulmonary pressure. During inspiration, the contraction of the diaphragm and intercostal muscles expands the pleural cavity. Driven by negative intrapleural pressure, the lung parenchyma expands symmetrically, causing the bronchial tree to elastically elongate and unfurl. During expiration, passive decompression occurs: the respiratory muscles relax, and due to the high elastic recoil of the lungs, their volume decreases, returning the organ's structure to its baseline anatomical state. #pulmonology #anatomy #physiology #biomechanics #respiration