Project description:Airway remodelling in asthma remains poorly understood. This study aimed to determine the association of airway remodelling measured on bronchial biopsies with 1) lung function impairment and 2) thoracic quantitative computed tomography (QCT)-derived morphometry and densitometry measures of proximal airway remodelling and air trapping.Subjects were recruited from a single centre. Bronchial biopsy remodelling features that were the strongest predictors of lung function impairment and QCT-derived proximal airway morphometry and air trapping markers were determined by stepwise multiple regression. The best predictor of air trapping was validated in an independent replication group.Airway smooth muscle % was the only predictor of post-bronchodilator forced expiratory volume in 1?s (FEV1) % pred, while both airway smooth muscle % and vascularity were predictors of FEV1/forced vital capacity. Epithelial thickness and airway smooth muscle % were predictors of mean segmental bronchial luminal area (R2=0.12; p=0.02 and R2=0.12; p=0.015), whereas epithelial thickness was the only predictor of wall area % (R2=0.13; p=0.018). Vascularity was the only significant predictor of air trapping (R2=0.24; p=0.001), which was validated in the replication group (R2=0.19; p=0.031).In asthma, airway smooth muscle content and vascularity were both associated with airflow obstruction. QCT-derived proximal airway morphometry was most strongly associated with epithelial thickness and airway smooth muscle content, whereas air trapping was related to vascularity.
Project description:BackgroundAsthma is a frequent chronic disease of the airways. In spite of the fact that symptoms of asthma are well known, the pathogenesis has not yet been fully understood. Quantitative computed tomography (qCT) of the lung allows for the measurment of a set of parameters. The aim of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of quantitative computed tomography in the assessment of airway wall thickness in asthma.MethodsThe prospective study was performed on a group of 83 patients with well-defined, long-term asthma between 2016 and 2018. The control group was composed of 30 healthy volunteers. All examined subjects were non-smokers. All computed tomography (CT) studies were performed using a 128 multi-slice CT scanner with no contrast, following a chest scanning protocol in the supine position, at full inspiration and breath-holds.ResultsQuantitative bronchial tree measurements were obtained from the third up to the ninth generation of the posterior basal bronchi (B10) of the right lung in a blinded fashion. The value of the wall thickness in patients with asthma was significantly higher in all measured generations of the bronchial tree (third to ninth generation). The lumen area and the inner diameter significantly correlated with the lung function tests and were substantially smaller in the examined group from the seventh to the ninth generation of the bronchi (p < 0.05).ConclusionsWe conclude that airway remodelling occurs in most patients with long-term asthma and is associated mainly with the medium and small airways. Imaging techniques, especially qCT can be useful in the diagnosis and management of asthma. The reviews of this paper are available via the supplemental material section.
Project description:OBJECTIVES: High-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) can detect the structural abnormalities in asthma. This study attempts to correlate these abnormalities with clinical and pulmonary function test (PFT) data. METHODS: Consecutive stable asthma patients attending Mubarak Al Kabeer Hospital, Kuwait, were subjected to HRCT during a six month period from July 2004 to December 2004, after initial evaluation and PFT. RESULTS: Of the 28 cases, sixteen (57.1%) had moderate, 6 (21.4%) had mild and 6 (21.4%) had severe persistent asthma. Thirteen (46.4%) patients had asthma for 1 to 5 years and 12 (42.9%) were having asthma for >10 years. Bronchial wall thickening (57.1%), bronchiectasis (28.6%), mucoid impaction (17.9%), mosaic attenuation (10.7%), air trapping (78.6%) and plate like atelectasis (21.4%) were noted. Bronchial wall thickening (p=0.044) and bronchiectasis (p=0.063) were most prevalent in males. Ten (35.7%) patients exhibited mild, 9 (32.1%) had moderate and 3 (10.7%) had severe air trapping. The difference in Hounsfield units between expiratory and inspiratory slices (air trapping) when correlated with percent-predicted FEV1 in right upper (r=0.25; p=0.30), left upper (r=0.20; p=0.41), right mid (r=0.15; p=0.53), left mid (r=-0.04; p=0.60), right lower (r=0.04; p=0.86) and left lower zones (r=-0.13; p=0.58) showed no relation. The same when correlated as above with the percent predicted FEF 25-75 did not show any significant association. The presence of air trapping was compared with sex (p=0.640), nationality (p=1.000), disease duration (p=1.000) and severity of symptoms (p=0.581). CONCLUSION: Abnormal HRCT findings are common in asthma; however, air trapping when present was not related to the duration or severity of the illness or to the FEV1.
Project description:Purpose:We propose a quantitative Tc-99m diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA) single-photon emission computed tomography/computed tomography (SPECT/CT) for glomerular filtration rate (GFR) measurement. Methods:Quantitative SPECT/CT data obtained at 2-3 min post-Tc-99m DTPA injection (370 MBq) were used to determine % injected doses (%IDs) for individual kidneys. The reproducibility of %ID measurement was tested and compared with planar scintigraphy. Cr-51 ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) GFR was used as reference standard. Nine young volunteers, representing normal GFR, and ten older volunteers, reflecting impaired GFR, were enrolled. The established GFR equation derived from these volunteers was applied to 19 renal tumor patients post-partial nephrectomy. Results:At 2-3 min, %ID was most reproducible with the highest intraclass correlation (ICC) (0.9379) and lowest % coefficient of variation (CV) (6.5259%), which were more reliable than the ICC (0.9368) and %CV (6.7689%) of planar scintigraphy. Cr-51 EDTA GFR (93.16 ± 24.81 ml/min) correlated significantly with %ID (7.66 ± 2.15%, r = 0.7906, p = 0.0001), yielding an equation: Cr-51 EDTA GFR (ml/min) = (%ID × 9.1462) + 23.0653. This equation revealed significant decreases in total and nephrectomized kidney GFR (p = 0.0012 and p < 0.0001, respectively) from preoperative to 3-month postoperative measurements. Conclusions:Quantitative Tc-99m DTPA SPECT/CT produces reliable and clinically applicable %ID estimates that translate to the GFR of individual kidneys.
Project description:BackgroundThe obesity epidemic has prompted the need to better understand the impact of adipose tissue on human pathophysiology. However, accurate, efficient, and replicable models of quantifying adiposity have yet to be developed and clinically implemented. We propose a novel semiautomated radiologic method of measuring the visceral fat area (VFA) using computed tomography scan analysis.Materials and methodsWe obtained a cohort of 100 patients with rectal adenocarcinoma, with a median age of 60.9 y (age range: 35-87 y) and an average body mass index of 28.8 kg/m2 ± 6.56 kg/m2. The semiautomated quantification method of adiposity was developed using a commercial imaging suite. The method was compared to two manual delineations performed using two different picture archiving communication systems. We quantified VFA, subcutaneous fat area (SFA), total fat area (TFA), and visceral-to-subcutaneous fat ratio (V/S ratio) on computed tomography axial slices that were at the L4-L5 intervertebral level.ResultsThe semiautomated method was comparable to manual measurements for TFA, VFA, and SFA with intraclass correlation (ICC) of 0.99, 0.97, and 0.96, respectively. However, the ICC for the V/S ratio was only 0.44, which led to the identification of technical outliers that were identified using robust regression. After removal of these outliers, the ICC improved to 0.99 for TFA, VFA, and SFA and 0.97 for the V/S ratio. Measurements from the manual methodology highly correlated between the two picture archiving communication system platforms, with ICC of 0.98 for TFA, 0.98 for VFA, 0.96 for SFA, and 0.95 for the V/S ratio.ConclusionsThis semiautomated method is able to generate precise and reproducible results. In the future, this method may be applied on a larger scale to facilitate risk stratification of patients using measures of abdominal adiposity.
Project description:ObjectiveWe reduced the computed tomography (CT)-reconstructed field of view (FOV), increasing pixel density across airway structures and reducing partial volume effects, to determine whether this would improve accuracy of airway wall thickness quantification.MethodsWe performed CT imaging on a lung phantom and 29 participants. Images were reconstructed at 30-, 15-, and 10-cm FOV using a medium-smooth kernel. Cross-sectional airway dimensions were compared at each FOV with repeated-measures analysis of variance.ResultsPhantom measurements were more accurate when FOV decreased from 30 to 15 cm (P < 0.05). Decreasing FOV further to 10 cm did not significantly improve accuracy. Human airway measurements similarly decreased by decreasing FOV (P < 0.001). Percent changes in all measurements when reducing FOV from 30 to 15 cm were less than 3%.ConclusionsAirway measurements at 30-cm FOV are near the limits of CT resolution using a medium-smooth kernel. Reducing reconstructed FOV would minimally increase sensitivity to detect differences in airway dimensions.
Project description:Rationale: Several chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) studies have evaluated risk factors for emergency department (ED) visits or hospitalizations, and found insufficient data available about social and demographic factors that drive these behaviors. This U.S. study was designed to describe the characteristics of COPD patients with ED visits or a hospitalization and to investigate how often common COPD comorbidities are present in these individuals. Methods: Data for 7180 COPD patients regarding demographic factors, comorbidities, smoking status, and ED visits or hospitalization was obtained from the 2012 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) survey. Logistic regression analysis was used to adjust demographic factors and smoking status to model the correlation between patients with ED visits or hospitalizations and morbidities generating odds ratios (OR) and confidence intervals (CI). Results: Among diagnosed COPD patients in the BRFSS, 16.5% had ED visits or hospitalization in the previous year. These individuals were younger, had a lower socio-economic status (lower education, lower income, and more often unemployed) and 23.4% of the individuals could not visit a doctor because of the financial difficulties compared to 16.7% who had no visit (p<0.0001 for all comparisons). The prevalence of comorbidities was higher in those with ED visits or hospitalization compared to those without. Conclusion: In a population representative of COPD patients, lower socio-economic status and higher comorbidities are associated with ED visits or hospitalization. Studies are needed to further elucidate the complex relationship between COPD, comorbidities, and ED visits or hospitalization.
Project description:Technetium pertechnetate (TcO4) is a radioactive tracer used to assess thyroid function by thyroid uptake system (TUS). However, the TUS often fails to deliver accurate measurements of the percent of thyroid uptake (%thyroid uptake) of TcO4. Here, we investigated the usefulness of quantitative single-photon emission computed tomography/computed tomography (SPECT/CT) after injection of TcO4 in detecting thyroid function abnormalities.We retrospectively reviewed data from 50 patients (male:female = 15:35; age, 46.2?±?16.3 years; 17 Graves disease, 13 thyroiditis, and 20 euthyroid). All patients underwent TcO4 quantitative SPECT/CT (185 MBq = 5 mCi), which yielded %thyroid uptake and standardized uptake value (SUV). Twenty-one (10 Graves disease and 11 thyroiditis) of the 50 patients also underwent conventional %thyroid uptake measurements using a TUS.Quantitative SPECT/CT parameters (%thyroid uptake, SUVmean, and SUVmax) were the highest in Graves disease, second highest in euthyroid, and lowest in thyroiditis (P?<?0.0001, Kruskal-Wallis test). TUS significantly overestimated the %thyroid uptake compared with SPECT/CT (P?<?0.0001, paired t test) because other TcO4 sources in addition to thyroid, such as salivary glands and saliva, contributed to the %thyroid uptake result by TUS, whereas %thyroid uptake, SUVmean and SUVmax from the SPECT/CT were associated with the functional status of thyroid.Quantitative SPECT/CT is more accurate than conventional TUS for measuring TcO4 %thyroid uptake. Quantitative measurements using SPECT/CT may facilitate more accurate assessment of thyroid tracer uptake.
Project description:Bone marrow adipose tissue (BMAT) has been implicated in a number of conditions associated with bone deterioration and osteoporosis. Several studies have found an inverse relationship between BMAT and bone mineral density (BMD), and higher levels of BMAT in those with prevalent fracture. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the gold standard for measuring BMAT, but its use is limited by high costs and low availability. We hypothesized that BMAT could also be accurately quantified using high-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography (HR-pQCT).MethodsIn the present study, a novel method to quantify the tibia bone marrow fat fraction, defined by MRI, using HR-pQCT was developed. In total, 38 postmenopausal women (mean [standard deviation] age 75.9 [3.1] years) were included and measured at the same site at the distal (n = 38) and ultradistal (n = 18) tibia using both MRI and HR-pQCT. To adjust for partial volume effects, the HR-pQCT images underwent 0 to 10 layers of voxel peeling to remove voxels adjacent to the bone. Linear regression equations were then tested for different degrees of voxel peeling, using the MRI-derived fat fractions as the dependent variable and the HR-pQCT-derived radiodensity as the independent variables.ResultsThe most optimal HR-pQCT derived model, which applied a minimum of 4 layers of peeled voxel and with more than 1% remaining marrow volume, was able to explain 76% of the variation in the ultradistal tibia bone marrow fat fraction, measured with MRI (p < 0.001).ConclusionThe novel HR-pQCT method, developed to estimate BMAT, was able to explain a substantial part of the variation in the bone marrow fat fraction and can be used in future studies investigating the role of BMAT in osteoporosis and fracture prediction.
Project description:BackgroundChronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has variable subtypes involving mixture of large airway inflammation, small airway disease, and emphysema. This study evaluated the relationship between visually assessed computed tomography (CT) subtypes and clinical/imaging characteristics.MethodsIn total, 452 participants were enrolled in this study between 2012 and 2017. Seven subtypes were defined by visual evaluation of CT images using Fleischner Society classification: normal, paraseptal emphysema (PSE), bronchial disease, and centrilobular emphysema (trace, mild, moderate and confluent/advanced destructive). The differences in several variables, including clinical, laboratory, spirometric, and quantitative CT features among CT-based visual subtypes, were compared using the chi-square tests and one-way analysis of variance.ResultsSubjects who had PSE had better forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) (P=0.03) percentage and higher lung density (P<0.05) than those with moderate to confluent/advanced destructive centrilobular emphysema. As the visual grade of centrilobular emphysema worsened, pulmonary function declined and modified Medical Research Council, COPD assessment test (CAT) score, and quantitative assessment (emphysema index and air trapping) increased. The bronchial subtype was associated with higher body mass index (BMI), better lung function and higher lung density. Participants with trace emphysema showed a rapid increase in functional small airway disease.ConclusionsClassifying subtypes using visual CT imaging features can reflect heterogeneity and pathological processes of COPD.