title: The use of CT densitometry to predict lung toxicity in bone marrow transplant patients.
abstract: Total body irradiation (TBI) is considered an integral part of the preparation of patients with hematological malignancies for marrow transplantation. One of the major causes of death following bone marrow transplantation is interstitial pneumonia. Its pathogenesis is complex but radiation may play a major role in its development. Computed tomography (CT) has been used in animal and human studies as a sensitive non-invasive method for detecting changes in the lung following radiotherapy. In the present study CT scans are studied before and up to 1 year after TBI. Average lung densities measured before TBI showed large variations among the individual patients. On follow-up scans, lung density decreases were measured for patients who did not develop lung complications. Significant lung density increases were measured in patients who subsequently had lung complications. These lung density increases were observed prior to the onset of respiratory complications and could be correlated with the clinical course of the patients, suggesting the possibility for the usage of CT lung densitometry to predict lung complications before the onset of clinical symptoms.
authors.affiliation: Biomedical Physics Department, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: E E
authors.initials: EE
authors.lastname: el-Khatib
authors.forename: C R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Freeman
authors.forename: W B
authors.initials: WB
authors.lastname: Rybka
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lehnert
authors.forename: E B
authors.initials: EB
authors.lastname: Podgorsak
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000741:Anemia, Aplastic / Q000628:therapy; D016026:Bone Marrow Transplantation; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007938:Leukemia / Q000628:therapy; D008168:Lung / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000528:radiation effects*; D008223:Lymphoma / Q000628:therapy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D055728:Primary Myelofibrosis / Q000628:therapy; D011658:Pulmonary Fibrosis / Q000209:etiology; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014916:Whole-Body Irradiation / Q000009:adverse effects*