title: Age-related changes in the trachea in healthy adults.
abstract: To investigate age-related changes in the shape of trachea, normal male volunteers (n = 83, mean +/- SD: 47.7 +/- 20.2 years old) underwent inspiratory CT scans at full inspiration and lung function tests. Subjects who showed VC < 80% predicted or FEV1 < 80% predicted on lung function tests were excluded. The CT data, which is located at 2.0 cm above the aortic arch, were transferred to a personal computer. The tracheal area (St) and two parameters, Tracheal index (Ti) and Circularity (Ci) indicating the shape of the trachea, were automatically calculated. Ti was defined the ratio of the coronal to the sagittal diameter of the trachea, and the Ci (Ci = 4piS/L2, S: tracheal area, L: tracheal perimeter) was used to indicate the roundness of the trachea. A Ci value of less than 1 indicated the distortion of the roundness. Both St and St/BSA (body surface area) showed a significant correlation with age (r = 0.37, r = 0.52; p = 0.0006, p < 0.0001). Ti was not correlated with age (r = -0.20; p = 0.0697), whereas Ci was significantly correlated with age (r = -0.32; p = 0.00364). There were measurable age related changes of the trachea both in the area and the shape. Aging results in the increased tracheal area and a distortion of the roundness.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Thoracic Surgery, Institute for Frontier Medical Sciences, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8507, Japan. hsakai@kuhp.kyoto-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Hiroaki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sakai
authors.forename: Yasutaka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nakano
authors.forename: Shigeo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Muro
authors.forename: Toyohiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hirai
authors.forename: Yasutaka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Takubo
authors.forename: Yoshitaka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Oku
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hamakawa
authors.forename: Ayuko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: Toshihiko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sato
authors.forename: Fengshi
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Hisashi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sahara
authors.forename: Takuji
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fujinaga
authors.forename: Kiyoshi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sato
authors.forename: Makoto
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sonobe
authors.forename: Tsuyoshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shoji
authors.forename: Ryo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Miyahara
authors.forename: Kenichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Okubo
authors.forename: Toru
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Bando
authors.forename: Toshiki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hirata
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Date
authors.forename: Michiaki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mishima
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D006262:Health; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012129:Respiratory Function Tests; D014132:Trachea / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult