Role of quantitative chest perfusion computed tomography in detecting diabetic pulmonary microangiopathy.
OBJECTIVE
Aim of the study was to determine the role of perfusion chest computed tomography (pCT) in evaluation of pulmonary diabetic angiopathy.


METHODS
18 never-smoking patients (10 diabetic patients and 8 healthy controls) underwent chest high resolution CT (HRCT) and then pCT scanning. In both groups, blood tests, biochemical analysis, fibrinogen, HbA(1c), spirometry, diffusion capacity for carbon monoxide (DLCO) and body pletysmography were performed.Following parameters of pulmonary perfusion have been analysed: blood volume (BV), blood flow (BF), mean transit time (MTT), time to peak (TTP) and permeability surface (PS).


RESULTS
there were no statistically significant differences between groups in terms of age, sex, BMI, forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV(1)), DLCO. Chest HRCT revealed no pathologies. Significantly higher values of chest pCT for BF (p=0.05), BV (p=0.05) and PS (p=0.01) have been found in diabetics in comparison to controls. No differences were found in MTT.


CONCLUSIONS
significant increase of perfusion parameters in diabetes seems to confirm pulmonary microangiopathy. The results indicate that further studies on application of pCT in diabetic patients may be beneficial for better understanding of lung microangiopathy, its diagnosing and monitoring.
Department of Allergology, Medical University of Gdansk, ul. Dębinki 7, 80-211 Gdansk, Poland. k.kuziemski@gumed.edu.pl
K
K
Kuziemski
J
J
Pieńkowska
W
W
Słomiński
K
K
Specjalski
K
K
Dziadziuszko
E
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Jassem
M
M
Studniarek
R
R
Kalicka
J M
JM
Słomiński
D000328:Adult; D001810:Blood Volume; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002199:Capillary Permeability; D003925:Diabetic Angiopathies / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D055806:Microvessels / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D055420:Perfusion Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D010991:Plethysmography; D011650:Pulmonary Alveoli / Q000098:blood supply / Q000503:physiopathology; D011875:Radionuclide Angiography / Q000379:methods*; D012039:Regional Blood Flow; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods*