Evaluation of the extent of ground-glass opacity on high-resolution CT in patients with interstitial pneumonia associated with systemic sclerosis: comparison between quantitative and qualitative analysis.
OBJECTIVE
To verify whether quantitative analysis of the extent of ground-glass opacity (GGO) on high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) could show a stronger correlation with the therapeutic response of interstitial pneumonia (IP) associated with systemic sclerosis (SSc) compared with qualitative analysis.


METHODS
Seventeen patients with IP associated with SSc received autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (auto-PBSCT) and were followed up using HRCT and pulmonary function tests. Two thoracic radiologists assessed the extent of GGO on HRCT using a workstation. Therapeutic effect was assessed using the change of vital capacity (VC) and diffusing capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide (DLco) before and 12 months after PBSCT. Interobserver agreement was assessed using Spearman's rank correlation coefficient and the Bland-Altman method. Correlation with the therapeutic response between quantitative and qualitative analysis was assessed with Pearson's correlation coefficients.


RESULTS
Spearman's rank correlation coefficient showed good agreement, but Bland-Altman plots showed that proportional error could be suspected. Quantitative analysis showed stronger correlation than the qualitative analysis based on the relationships between the change in extent of GGO and VC, and change in extent of GGO and DLco.


CONCLUSIONS
Quantitative analysis of the change in extent of GGO showed stronger correlation with the therapeutic response of IP with SSc after auto-PBSCT than with the qualitative analysis.
Department of Health Sciences, Kyushu University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Fukuoka, Japan. Electronic address: h-yabu@med.kyushu-u.ac.jp.
H
H
Yabuuchi
Department of Clinical Radiology, Kyushu University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Fukuoka, Japan.
Y
Y
Matsuo
Department of Medicine and Biosystemic Science, Kyushu University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Fukuoka, Japan.
H
H
Tsukamoto
Department of Medicine and Biosystemic Science, Kyushu University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Fukuoka, Japan.
T
T
Horiuchi
Department of Clinical Radiology, Kyushu University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Fukuoka, Japan.
S
S
Sunami
Department of Clinical Radiology, Kyushu University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Fukuoka, Japan.
T
T
Kamitani
Department of Clinical Radiology, Kyushu University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Fukuoka, Japan.
M
M
Jinnouchi
Department of Clinical Radiology, Kyushu University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Fukuoka, Japan.
M
M
Nagao
Department of Medicine and Biosystemic Science, Kyushu University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Fukuoka, Japan.
K
K
Akashi
Department of Clinical Radiology, Kyushu University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Fukuoka, Japan.
H
H
Honda
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017563:Lung Diseases, Interstitial / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015588:Observer Variation; D012129:Respiratory Function Tests; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012595:Scleroderma, Systemic / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed