Assessment of the right ventricular function and mass using cardiac multi-detector computed tomography in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
OBJECTIVE
We wanted to assess the relationship between measurements of the right ventricular (RV) function and mass, with using cardiac multi-detector computed tomography (MDCT) and the severity of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) as determined by the pulmonary function test (PFT).


METHODS
Measurements of PFT and cardiac MDCT were obtained in 33 COPD patients. Using the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) classification, the patients were divided into three groups according to the severity of the disease: stage I (mild, n = 4), stage II (moderate, n = 15) and stage III (severe, n = 14). The RV function and the wall mass were obtained by cardiac MDCT. The results were compared among the groups using the Student-Newman-Keuls method. Pearson's correlation was used to evaluate the relationship between the right ventricular ejection fraction (RVEF) and the wall mass results with the PFT results. P-values less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant.


RESULTS
The RVEF and mass were 47+/-3% and 41+/-2 g in stage I, 46+/-6% and 46+/-5 g in stage II, and 35+/-5% and 55+/-6 g in stage III, respectively. The RVEF was significantly lower in stage III than in stage I and II (p < 0.01). The RV mass was significantly different among the three stages, according to the disease severity of COPD (p < 0.05). The correlation was excellent between the MDCT results and forced expiratory volume in 1 sec (r = 0.797 for RVEF and r = -0.769 for RV mass) and forced expiratory volume in 1 sec to the forced vital capacity (r = 0.745 for RVEF and r = -0.718 for RV mass).


CONCLUSIONS
Our study shows that the mean RV wall mass as measured by cardiac MDCT correlates well with the COPD disease severity as determined by PFT.
Hur
Jin
J
Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Research Institute of Radiological Science, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 135-270, Korea.
Kim
Tae Hoon
TH
Kim
Sang Jin
SJ
Ryu
Young Hoon
YH
Kim
Hyung Jung
HJ
D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology; D012129:Respiratory Function Tests; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods*; D018497:Ventricular Dysfunction, Right / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology