SELECTED ARTICLES FROM THE RECENT LITERATURE 20088/15/2008
3-D CT scans can detect changes of airway wall remodeling in asthma, and these changes correlate with lung function and biopsy findings
Summary
The authors of this multicenter study were funded by an NIH grant -the Severe Asthma Research program. The object of the study was to see whether an automated, quantitative 3-D approach to imaging and airway analysis could detect airway remodeling in asthma, and whether or not such detection correlated with other measurements and with biopsy findings. They found that subjects with severe asthma had significantly greater airway wall thickening and area than mild-moderate asthmatics and "normals." Both airway wall thickening and area were inversely correlated with baseline FEV1 and positively correlated with bronchodilator response. Area epithelial thickness also correlated with wall thickness and wall area on CT scan.They concluded that severe asthmatics demonstrate airway wall thickening compared to mild asthmatics and normals, and that the changes on CT scan correlated with pathologic measures of remodeling and airflow obstruction.
Reference
Aysolar S, et al. Airway remodeling measured by multidetector computed tomography is increased in severe asthma and correlates with pathology. Chest 2008 (July 18) (E-publication ahead of print).
