title: [Compute tomography-based quantitative evaluation of pneumoconiosis].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the value of compute tomography (CT)-based quantitative assessment in the diagnosis of pneumoconiosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty patients with pneumoconiosis and 40 healthy volunteers (control) underwent CT scanning at the levels of the top of the aortic arch, tracheal carina, and 3 cm and 6 cm below the tracheal carina. All the CT images were analyzed with density histograms for a specific region to calculate the mean lung CT value (ME) and pixel index for assessment of lung density changes.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At the levels of the top of the aortic arch and 6 cm below the tracheal carina, the pixel indices in the 10 CT threshold density intervals within -832 to -352 HU was all significantly higher in pneumoconiosis group than in the control group (P<0.05). At the levels of the tracheal carina and 3 cm below the tracheal carina, the 11 pixel indices in the CT threshold density intervals within -880 to -352 HU were also significantly higher in pneumoconiosis group (P<0.05). At all the 4 scan levels, the pixel indices in the 10 intervals between -880 and -352 HU were all significantly higher in pneumoconiosis group (P<0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  CT density histograms allow quantitative evaluation of lung fibrosis in patients with pneumoconiosis for diagnostic purposes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016, China. xialuhuahua@163.com
authors.forename: Luhua
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Xia
authors.forename: Furong
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lü
authors.forename: Yi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Bo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Sheng
authors.forename: Shaoquan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zhou
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011009:Pneumoconiosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D011658:Pulmonary Fibrosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D054894:Spiral Cone-Beam Computed Tomography; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods*