Thin-section and low-dose volumetric computed tomographic densitometry of the lung in systemic sclerosis.
OBJECTIVE
To correlate lung density measurements with the results of visual assessment of thin-section computed tomography (CT) and of pulmonary function tests (PFT) in Systemic Sclerosis (SSc).


METHODS
Thirty-nine SSc patients underwent sequential thin-section CT and spiral low-dose whole-lung acquisitions. The thin-section CT scans were evaluated with a dedicated visual scale. Mean lung density, skewness, and kurtosis were calculated from the lung density histogram. In addition from the spiral low-dose acquisition, the lung volume was computed. The visual score, the densitometric parameters, and the lung volume were correlated with the PFT.


RESULTS
Mean lung density, skewness, and kurtosis computed from thin-section (R = 0,66; R = -0,74; R = -0,75) and low-dose volumetric (R = 0,72; R = -0,71; R = -0,71) CT and the lung volume (R = -0.54) correlated with the visual score. Densitometric values and lung volume consistently better correlated with PFT than the visual score.


CONCLUSIONS
In SSc the histogram results are more closely correlated to PFT than the visual score. The low-dose spiral CT seems ideal for longitudinal studies.
Orlandi
Ilaria
I
Radiodiagnostic Section, Department of Clinical Physiopathology, University of Florence, Italy. ntanaka@yamaguchi-u.ac.jp
Camiciottoli
Gianna
G
Diciotti
Stefano
S
Bartolucci
Maurizio
M
Cavigli
Edoardo
E
Nacci
Francesca
F
Matucci-Cerinic
Marco
M
Villari
Natale
N
Mascalchi
Mario
M
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods; D008168:Lung / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011829:Radiation Dosage; D012129:Respiratory Function Tests / Q000379:methods; D012595:Scleroderma, Systemic / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D036542:Tomography, Spiral Computed / Q000379:methods*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods*