Elsevier

Clinical Radiology

Volume 57, Issue 12, December 2002, Pages 1078-1085
Clinical Radiology

Regular Article
High-resolution CT Features of Severe Asthma and Bronchiolitis Obliterans

https://doi.org/10.1053/crad.2002.1104Get rights and content

Abstract

AIM: To evaluate the high-resolution CT findings of severe asthma (SA) and bronchiolitis obliterans (BO) and determine whether any reliable discriminating HRCT features exist. MATERIALS AND METHODS: HRCT examinations of the chest of 30 patients with SA and 14 patients with BO were analysed. Images were scored for the presence and extent of 21 CT findings. RESULTS: The most consistent HRCT features in SA were bronchial wall thickening in 30 (100%), expiratory air trapping in 19 of 22 examinations with expiratory images (87%), inspiratory decreased attenuation in 18 (60%), and bronchial luminal narrowing in 12 (40%). The most consistent HRCT features in BO were expiratory air trapping in 10 of 10 examinations with expiratory images (100%), bronchial wall thickening in 13 (93%), inspiratory decreased attenuation in 11 (79%), ground glass opacity in seven (50%), and mosaic pattern of attenuation in seven (50%). Decreased attenuation was more extensive in BO than in SA on both inspiratory and expiratory images. The mosaic pattern of attenuation was present in seven (50%) BO patients but in only one (3%) SA patients (P = 0.0006). CONCLUSIONS: Mosaic pattern of attenuation, when present, is highly suggestive of BO, but SA and BO may be indistinguishable. Jensen, S. P. et al. (2002). Clinical Radiology57, 1078–1085.

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    Author for correspondence and guarantor of study: J. D. Newell, Department of Radiology, National Jewish Medical and Research Center, 1400 Jackson Street, Room A011, Denver, CO 80206, U.S.A. Tel.: +1 303 398 1084; Fax: +1 303 398 1040; E-mail: [email protected]

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