CT Indexes of Emphysema and Airways in Healthy Volunteers: Normal Values; Relations With Gender, Height and Weight

Overview

Various indexes have been proposed to quantify both pulmonary emphysema and airways disease on chest CT scans. It is unknown whether these indexes should be consider in absolute values or as compared to predicted normal values. The purposes of the present study is thus : a) to measure these indexes at CT in healthy volunteers; b) to investigate their relations with gender, height and weight.

87 healthy volunteers performed consecutively a low-dose chest CT scan and pulmonary function tests: 1. On chest CT scans, indexes reflecting pulmonary emphysema and airways measurements have been computed by using dedicated softwares. Each of our three readers performed two reading sessions. Relative area of lung parenchyma with attenuation value less than -960 Hounsfield Units; luminal area and wall thickness in third and fourth generations airways were recorded. 2. Pulmonary function tests were performed: vital capacity, forced vital capacity , functional residual capacity, total lung capacity, residual volume, forced expiratory volume in one second, and diffusion lung capacity for carbon monoxide were recorded (either in absolute values and percentage of predicted values). CT indexes were compared with gender, height and weight.

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Eligibility

Locations (1)

Outcomes