title: High-resolution CT findings of Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare complex pulmonary disease: correlation with pulmonary function test results.
abstract: The purpose of our study was to analyze the high-resolution CT findings of the nodular bronchiectatic form of Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare complex (MAC) pulmonary disease and to correlate the extent of high-resolution CT findings with pulmonary function test (PFT) results.
  
  
  
  From January 2005 through December 2005, we identified 47 patients (mean age, 58 +/- 13 years; age range, 24-72 years; male-female ratio, 11:36) with the nodular bronchiectatic form of MAC pulmonary disease who underwent both high-resolution CT and PFTs. High-resolution CT findings were reviewed retrospectively in terms of the presence and extent of bronchiectasis, cellular or inflammatory bronchiolitis (centrilobular small nodules and tree-in-bud signs), cavity, nodule, and other findings. The extent of the abnormalities seen on high-resolution CT was scored by modifying the cystic fibrosis scoring system proposed by Helbich and coworkers. The scores were correlated with PFT results using Spearman's correlation coefficient.
  
  
  
  On high-resolution CT, the three most frequently observed patterns of parenchymal abnormalities were, in decreasing order of frequency, cellular bronchiolitis (n = 47, 100%), bronchiectasis (n = 46, 98%), and consolidation (n = 27, 57%). The total CT score showed a significant correlation with the residual volume-total lung capacity (RV/TLC) ratio (r = 0.572, p < 0.001), forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV(1)) value (r = -0.426, p = 0.003), forced vital capacity (FVC) value (r = -0.360, p = 0.013), peak expiratory flow value (r = -0.352, p = 0.015), and peak expiratory flow between 25% and 75% of the forced vital capacity (FEF(25-75%)) (r = -0.289, p = 0.049).
  
  
  
  CT scoring of pulmonary abnormalities correlates with measures of functional impairment in patients with MAC pulmonary disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology and Center for Imaging Science, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, 50, Ilwon-Dong, Kangnam-Ku, Seoul 135-710, Korea.
authors.forename: Jong Woon
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Song
authors.forename: Won-Jung
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Koh
authors.forename: Kyung Soo
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Ji Young
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Myung Jin
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.forename: Tae Sung
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: O Jung
authors.initials: OJ
authors.lastname: Kwon
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008171:Lung Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015270:Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare Infection / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011857:Radiographic Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted; D012129:Respiratory Function Tests; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D036542:Tomography, Spiral Computed / Q000379:methods*