Repeatability of quantitative CT indexes of emphysema in patients evaluated for lung volume reduction surgery.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the repeatability of quantitative computed tomographic (CT) indexes of emphysema and the effect of spirometric gating of lung volume during CT in candidates for lung volume reduction surgery (LVRS).


METHODS
Initial and same-day repeat routine inspiratory spiral chest CT studies were performed in 29 LVRS candidates (group 1, routine study vs repeat study). In a separate cohort of 29 LVRS candidates, spiral chest CT studies were performed both without and with spirometric gating by using a spirometer to trigger scanning at 90% of vital capacity (group 2, spirometric gating study). In each study, Pearson and intraclass correlation coefficients were calculated to determine the agreement between multiple pairs of whole-lung quantitative CT indexes of emphysema, and mean values were compared with two-tailed paired t tests.


RESULTS
Pearson and intraclass correlation coefficients were high for all quantitative CT indexes (all > or = 0.92). No significant differences were found between mean values of quantitative CT indexes in group 1. Variation in quantitative CT results was small but more prominent in group 2 than in group 1. The variation in quantitative CT results was primarily related to differences in lung volume (r(2) as great as 0.83).


CONCLUSIONS
Repeatability of quantitative CT test results in LVRS candidates is high and unlikely to improve by using spirometric gating.
Gierada
D S
DS
Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology, Washington University School of Medicine, Barnes-Jewish Hospital, 216 S Kingshighway Blvd, St Louis, MO 63110, USA. gieradad@mir.wustl.edu
Yusen
R D
RD
Pilgram
T K
TK
Crouch
L
L
Slone
R M
RM
Bae
K T
KT
Lefrak
S S
SS
Cooper
J D
JD
D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008176:Lung Volume Measurements; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011013:Pneumonectomy; D011656:Pulmonary Emphysema / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000601:surgery*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013147:Spirometry; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods