Quantitative CT measurements of small pulmonary vessels in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: do they change on follow-up scans?

• Published in: Clinical physiology and functional imaging 2016-05, Vol.36 (3), p.211-217
• Main Authors: Saruya, Shinji, Matsuoka, Shin, Yamashiro, Tsuneo, Matsushita, Shoichiro, Fujikawa, Atsuko, Yagihashi, Kunihiro, Kurihara, Yasuyuki, Nakajima, Yasuo
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; computed tomography; Computed Tomography Angiography - methods; Emphysema; Female; follow-up; Follow-Up Studies; Humans; longitudinal changes; Male; Medical imaging; Middle Aged; Observer Variation; Pulmonary Artery - diagnostic imaging; Pulmonary Artery - physiopathology; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive - complications; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive - diagnostic imaging; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive - physiopathology; Pulmonary Emphysema - complications; Pulmonary Emphysema - diagnostic imaging; Pulmonary Emphysema - physiopathology; pulmonary vessels; Radiographic Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted - methods; Reproducibility of Results; Sensitivity and Specificity
• ISSN: 1475-0961; 1475-097X
• DOI: 10.1111/cpf.12215

Summary The aims of this study were to perform a longitudinal evaluation of the cross‐sectional area (CSA) of small pulmonary vessels and the extent of emphysema measured on computed tomography (CT) scans of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and to correlate the pulmonary vascular measurements with extent of emphysema. The institutional review board approved this retrospective study and waived the need for patients' informed consent. Seventy‐four patients with COPD who underwent both initial and follow‐up CT scans at an interval of ≥12 months were analysed. The CSA of small pulmonary vessels