title: Comparison of pulmonary CT findings and serum KL-6 levels in patients with cryptogenic organizing pneumonia.
abstract: The aim of this study was to retrospectively compare high-resolution CT findings among cryptogenic organizing pneumonia (COP) patients with normal and elevated serum KL-6 levels. Chest CT scans performed between April 1999 and April 2007 in 20 COP patients with a normal KL-6 level and 17 COP patients with an elevated KL-6 level were evaluated retrospectively by two chest radiologists. The CT findings in the COP patients with either a normal or an elevated KL-6 level mainly consisted of consolidation (n = 17 and n = 13, respectively) followed by ground-glass opacity (n = 11 and n = 13, respectively). Traction bronchiectasis and architectural distortion were significantly more frequent in patients with an elevated KL-6 level than in those with normal levels (n = 7 and n = 1, and n = 13 and n = 3, respectively) (p = 0.0077 and p = 0.00017, respectively). In follow-up CT scans, a relapse within 1 year after initial treatment with steroids, performed in 16 patients with a normal KL-6 level and 16 with an elevated KL-6 level, occurred in 2 (12.5%) patients with a normal KL-6 level and in 6 (37.5%) with an elevated KL-6 level. The frequency of relapse in patients with an elevated KL-6 level was higher than in those with a normal KL-6 level; however, no significant difference between the two groups was observed (p = 0.103). In conclusion, CT findings of traction bronchiectasis and architectural distortion in COP patients are associated with increased serum KL-6 levels, which might be related to a relapse after treatment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Oita University Faculty of Medicine, Oita, Japan. fumitook@ med.oita-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Okada
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ando
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Honda
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tanoue
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Matsumoto
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Mori
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D001992:Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid / Q000166:cytology; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000378:metabolism*; D018549:Cryptogenic Organizing Pneumonia / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000378:metabolism; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018396:Mucin-1 / Q000378:metabolism*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; C060192:MUC1 protein, human; D018396:Mucin-1; D002097:C-Reactive Protein