Abstract

Multiple CT indices are associated with disease progression and mortality in patients with COPD, but which indices have the strongest association remain unestablished. This longitudinal 10-year observational study (n=247) showed that the emphysema severity on CT is more closely associated with the progression of airflow limitation and that a reduction in the cross-sectional area of erector spinae muscles (ESM_CSA) on CT is more closely associated with mortality than the other CT indices, independent of patient demographics and pulmonary function. ESM_CSA is a useful CT index that is more closely associated with long-term mortality than emphysema and airway disease in patients with COPD.