High-resolution computed tomography findings of diffuse pulmonary involvement by mycosis fungoides

The authors describe a case of diffuse pulmonary involvement by mycosis fungoides in a 55-year-old man who presented with progressive exertional dyspnea. Although he had a long history of skin lesions, mycosis fungoides remained undiagnosed at initial presentation. High-resolution computed tomography revealed hazy ground-glass opacities along the thickened bronchovascular bundles and interlobular septa, particularly in the mid and upper lung fields, and traction bronchiectasis in the central regions. Skin biopsy confirmed the diagnosis of mycosis fungoides in the plaque stage. Transbronchial lung biopsy revealed diffuse infiltration of the atypical lymphoid cells in the peribronchial and perivascular regions. In this case, high-resolution computed tomography played an important role for suggesting the lymphoproliferative disease in this patient with undiagnosed mycosis fungoides.     

High-resolution computed tomography in the diagnosis of diffuse lung disease: a clinical perspective

High-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) has a central role in the routine detection and diagnosis of individual diffuse lung diseases. The widespread use of HRCT has been stimulated by numerous published series, which have evaluated the accuracy of HRCT in cohorts of patients. However, these series have not simulated the integration of HRCT into clinical diagnosis, and this has led to difficulties in achieving the optimal diagnostic use of HRCT in routine practice. This article summarizes the problems facing the clinician in applying HRCT series to diagnosis in individual patients. The flaws in published series are discussed and the importance of integrating HRCT data with baseline clinical information and, in selected cases, histopathologic findings is highlighted.     

The radiology of pulmonary disease. Chest radiography, computed tomography, and gallium scanning

A review of the radiologic manifestations of AIDS pulmonary diseases, with an emphasis on the utility of gallium scanning in the context of the normal or equivocal chest x-ray, is presented.     

High-resolution computed tomography of interstitial pulmonary fibrosis

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), also referred to as cryptogenic fibrosing alveolitis (CFA), is the clinical-radiological-pathological syndrome associated with the most common form of fibrosing interstitial pneumonia, usual interstitial pneumonia (UIP). Unfortunately, the diagnosis of IPF carries with it a relatively poor prognosis. The characteristic features on high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT), consisting of reticular abnormality and honeycombing with basal and peripheral predominance, are virtually diagnostic within the correct clinical context. The extent of fibrosis on HRCT is an important prognostic indicator. When ground-glass attenuation is seen in patients with IPF, it commonly progresses to fibrosis and honeycombing. Complications of IPF include accelerated progression and deterioration, lung cancer, spontaneous air leak, and secondary infection. This article discusses the key imaging features as correlated with histopathology, differential diagnosis, complications, and follow-up evaluation of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.     

Recent findings in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease by using quantitative computed tomography

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterized by an incompletely reversible airflow limitation that results from a combination of airway wall remodeling and emphysematous lung destruction. Forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV₁) has been considered the gold standard for diagnosis, classification, and follow-up in patients with COPD, but it has certain limitations and it is still necessary to find other noninvasive modalities to complement FEV₁ to evaluate the effect of therapeutic interventions and the pathogenesis of COPD. Quantitative computed tomography (CT) has partly met this demand. The extent of emphysema and airway dimensions measured using quantitative CT are associated with morphological and functional changes and clinical symptoms in patients with COPD. Phenotyping COPD based on quantitative CT has facilitated interventional and genotypic studies. Recent advances in COPD findings with quantitative CT are discussed in this review.     

电子束CT诊断肺动脉栓塞

目的 ::评价电子束 CT（EBCT）对肺动脉栓塞的诊断价值与优势。方法 :对 2 0 0 2 - 0 5～ 2 0 0 3- 0 4经 EBCT确诊的 9例肺栓塞的 CT征象进行分析 ,探讨其诊断价值。结果 :左、右两侧段以上肺动脉发生栓塞的几率相近 ,右侧5 2 .6 % （71/ 135 ） ,左侧 4 9.6 % （6 7/ 135 ） ,右侧略高。但左侧闭塞的段以上肺动脉有 19支 ,右侧仅 4支。各叶段以上肺栓塞的发生率以下叶最高 ,达 6 1.1% （6 6 / 10 8） ,其次为上叶的 4 5 .8% （33/ 72 ）和中叶及舌叶的 4 0 .7% （2 2 / 5 4 ）。左、右中间肺动脉的栓塞率为 5 0 % （9/ 18）。 36 0支亚段肺动脉中有 115支栓塞 （31.9% ） ,其中明确的栓塞 76支 （包括 2 6支闭塞 ） ,可疑 39支。肺栓塞的 EBCT直接征象 :管腔内中心性或偏心性充盈缺损及“轨道征”、“漂浮征”和完全闭塞 （闭塞血管管径大于正常管径 ）。间接征象 :偶可见“马赛克征”和梗死灶 ,多数见局限性肺纹理稀疏。另外还有胸水、肺动脉及右心轻度扩张等。结论 :电子束 CT扫描速度快 ,运动伪影小 ,对段以上肺栓塞能清晰显像并准确诊断 ,可作为肺栓塞的首选无创性检查方法。局限性是空间分辨率低 ,对亚段以下肺动脉栓塞的评价并不十分可靠。     

高分辨率CT定量在慢性阻塞性肺疾病评估中的应用价值

慢性阻塞性肺疾病（COPD）是常见的呼吸系统疾病之一,其表现为持续的、进行性的气流阻塞,是全球发病率和死亡率的主要原因,经济和社会负担巨大。随着科学技术的不断进步和发展,胸部高分辨率计算机断层扫描（HRCT）检查在COPD患者诊断和评估中具有重要应用价值。本文就HRCT定量参数在COPD患者的诊断、急性加重及并发症评估的相关研究进展进行综述。     

High-resolution computed tomography techniques in diffuse parenchymal lung disease and their application to clinical practice

The remarkable ability of high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) to provide sufficient detail of both normal and abnormal pulmonary anatomy requires high-quality examinations with considerable attention paid to the technique. Despite the use of optimal scanning protocols, there are well-known limitations of sequential scanning that explain the recent interest in the use of multislice spiral CT for diagnosing lung diseases in routine clinical practice. A basic knowledge of the most recent developments in spiral CT technology appears a necessary prerequisite for those clinicians, pulmonologists, internists, or thoracic surgeons who are involved in the management of diffuse infiltrative lung diseases. This chapter reviews the various aspects of multislice spiral CT technology applied to routine clinical evaluation of diffuse infiltrative lung diseases.     

Longitudinal study of airway dimensions in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease using computed tomography

Background and objective:   Chest CT has been widely used for the evaluation of structural changes in lung parenchyma and airways in cross-sectional studies. There has been no report on the annual changes in airway dimensions as assessed by CT in COPD patients. The objective of this study was to investigate the annual changes in airway dimensions and lung attenuation using CT in patients with COPD and to evaluate the correlations among annual changes in CT measurements and pulmonary function.
Methods:   Eighty-three men with COPD had completed five annual assessments of CT scans and pulmonary function tests over 4 years. Airway dimensions of the basal segment bronchi and lung attenuation on CT images were analysed in 38 subjects in whom the same airway could be measured at least three times, including at entry and at the end of the study.
Results:   Mean annual decline in FEV₁ was 21 mL/year. Annual changes in the percentage of low attenuation areas were not significantly correlated with decline in FEV₁. On the other hand, annual changes in the percentage of wall area (WA%/year) were significantly inversely correlated with annual changes in FEV₁ ( r  = −0.363, P  = 0.025), whereas WA%/year did not differ among severity stages at entry and did not correlate with baseline FEV₁.
Conclusions:   The results showing that annual changes in airway thickening correlated with annual decline in air flow limitation suggests the importance of treatment of airway inflammation in COPD. CT is a useful tool for quantitative estimation not only of emphysema but also of airway lesions in longitudinal studies.     

Computed tomography-based visual assessment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: comparison with pulmonary function test and quantitative computed tomography

BackgroundChronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has variable subtypes involving mixture of large airway inflammation, small airway disease, and emphysema. This study evaluated the relationship between visually assessed computed tomography (CT) subtypes and clinical/imaging characteristics.MethodsIn total, 452 participants were enrolled in this study between 2012 and 2017. Seven subtypes were defined by visual evaluation of CT images using Fleischner Society classification: normal, paraseptal emphysema (PSE), bronchial disease, and centrilobular emphysema (trace, mild, moderate and confluent/advanced destructive). The differences in several variables, including clinical, laboratory, spirometric, and quantitative CT features among CT-based visual subtypes, were compared using the chi-square tests and one-way analysis of variance.ResultsSubjects who had PSE had better forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) (P=0.03) percentage and higher lung density (P<0.05) than those with moderate to confluent/advanced destructive centrilobular emphysema. As the visual grade of centrilobular emphysema worsened, pulmonary function declined and modified Medical Research Council, COPD assessment test (CAT) score, and quantitative assessment (emphysema index and air trapping) increased. The bronchial subtype was associated with higher body mass index (BMI), better lung function and higher lung density. Participants with trace emphysema showed a rapid increase in functional small airway diseaseConclusionsClassifying subtypes using visual CT imaging features can reflect heterogeneity and pathological processes of COPD.     

Clinical analysis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease phenotypes classified using high-resolution computed tomography

OBJECTIVE AND BACKGROUND: The present study was performed to clarify the clinical characteristics of patients with COPD classified into phenotypes according to the dominancy of emphysema and the presence of bronchial wall thickening (BWT) evaluated by chest high-resolution CT. METHODS: A total of 172 patients with stable COPD (FEV1<80%) were examined by chest high-resolution CT. Emphysematous changes and BWT were evaluated visually, and COPD patients were classified into three phenotypes: absence of emphysema, with little emphysema with or without BWT (A phenotype), emphysema without BWT (E phenotype) and emphysema with BWT phenotype (M phenotype). The clinical characteristics were compared among the three phenotypes. RESULTS: The A phenotype showed a higher prevalence of those who had never smoked and patients with wheezing both on exertion and at rest, higher values of BMI and diffusing capacity for carbon mononide (DLCO), milder lung hyperinflation, and greater reversibility of airflow limitation responsive to beta2-agonist as compared with the E phenotype. The M phenotype showed a higher prevalence of patients complaining of a large amount of sputum, productive cough and wheezing, higher rate of exacerbation or hospitalization and greater reversibility of airflow limitation responsive to beta2-agonist as compared with the E phenotype. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that the morphological phenotypes of COPD show several clinical characteristics and different responsiveness to bronchodilators.     

Spiral computed tomography for acute pulmonary embolism

There is still considerable debate about the optimal diagnostic imaging modality for acute pulmonary embolism. If imaging is deemed necessary from an initial clinical evaluation such as d-dimer testing, options include nuclear medicine scanning, catheter pulmonary angiography, and spiral CT. In many institutions, spiral CT is becoming established as the first-line imaging test in daily clinical practice. With spiral CT, thrombus is directly visualized, and both mediastinal and parenchymal structures are evaluated, which may provide important alternative or additional diagnoses. However, limitations for the accurate diagnosis of small peripheral emboli, with a reported miss rate of up to 30% with single-slice spiral CT so far, have prevented the unanimous embrace of spiral CT as the new standard of reference for imaging pulmonary embolism. The clinical significance of the detection and treatment of isolated peripheral pulmonary emboli is uncertain. Evidence is accumulating that it is safe practice to withhold anticoagulation in patients with suspected pulmonary embolism on the basis of a negative spiral CT study. Remaining concerns about the accuracy of spiral CT for pulmonary embolism detection may be overcome by the introduction of multidetector-row spiral CT. This widely available technology has improved visualization of peripheral pulmonary arteries and detection of small emboli. The most recent generation of multidetector-row spiral CT scanners appears to outperform competing imaging modalities for the accurate detection of central and peripheral pulmonary embolism. In this review, we assess the current role and future potential of CT in the diagnostic algorithm of acute pulmonary embolism.     

The role of computed tomography in pediatric chest disease

While CT cannot replace plain chest radiography as a primary diagnostic tool for cardiothoracic disorders, it does offer three advantages over plain radiography: superior density discrimination, wide dynamic range, and cross-sectional image. This article reviews CT technique and radiation dosage, how chest cavity tissues appear on CT scans, and specific applications of CT for disorders that affect those tissues.