Reliability of quantitative computed tomography to predict postoperative lung function in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease having a lobectomy.
OBJECTIVE
To verify the reliability of quantitative computed tomography (CT) to estimate the postoperative lung function in patients with mild to severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who underwent a lobectomy.


METHODS
Nine COPD patients with lung cancer having a lung lobectomy with preoperative CT were enrolled. By applying a density mask technique and a specific equation, predicted postoperative forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) and vital capacity (VC) were calculated. Predicted values were correlated with postoperative measured values.


RESULTS
Estimated FEV1 and VC were always significantly lower than the corresponding postoperative values; however, CT-estimated postresection FEV1 values were better than the postresection VC values (biases between estimated and measured values were -0.14 and -0.536 L, respectively, according to the Bland-Altman method). Quantitative CT predicted postoperative FEV1 (r = 0.97, P < 0.001) and VC (r = 0.93, P < 0.001) well in all patients, however.


CONCLUSIONS
Quantitative CT may be an alternative tool to perfusion scan to predict postresection lung function, even in patients with borderline pulmonary function undergoing a lobectomy.
Sverzellati
Nicola
N
Department of Clinical Sciences, Section of Radiology, University of Parma, Parma, Italy. nicolasve@tiscali.it
Chetta
Alfredo
A
Calabrò
Elisa
E
Carbognani
Paolo
P
Internullo
Eveline
E
Olivieri
Dario
D
Zompatori
Maurizio
M
D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D005541:Forced Expiratory Volume / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional / Q000379:methods; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000601:surgery*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012129:Respiratory Function Tests / Q000379:methods*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods*; D014797:Vital Capacity / Q000502:physiology