Published ahead of print on July 21, 2004, doi:10.1164/rccm.200403-326OC
Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med., Volume 170, Number 8, October 2004, 883-890
A more recent version of this article appeared on October 15, 2004
Submitted on April 1, 2004
Accepted on July 21, 2004
Influence of Calibration on Densitometric Studies of Emphysema Progression Using Computed Tomography
David G Parr1, Berend C Stoel2, Jan Stolk3, Peter G Nightingale4, and Robert A Stockley1*
1 Lung Investigation Unit, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham, West Midlands, United Kingdom,
2 Division of Image Processing, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands,
3 Department of Pulmonology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands,
4 Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Facility, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham, West Midlands, United Kingdom
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: r.a.stockley{at}bham.ac.uk.
The fundamental importance of calibration in any measuring device is indisputable, but CT calibration in longitudinal lung densitometry studies is largely unexplored. Although the validity of CT as a measure of emphysema has been confirmed in cross-sectional studies there is limited data on long-term reproducibility and this is critically important for validating its use as an outcome measure in therapeutic trials. A general understanding of the strengths and pitfalls of CT densitometry is critical for physicians reviewing the published literature using this methodology. In our study of 57 patients with alpha 1-antitrypsin deficiency (phenotype PiZ), progression of voxel index determined from 3 successive annual scans acquired on a fully calibrated scanner was intimately associated with changes in CT air densitometry, sampled from patient images. Images were therefore re-analyzed using a correction technique validated in phantom studies that adjusted for changes in measured air density and improved the reliability of the voxel index as a measure of emphysema progression. Comparison of adjusted voxel index thresholds indicated the optimum threshold was - 950HU. Internal air calibration is therefore critical in longitudinal and multi-center lung densitometry studies of emphysema and incorporation of a correction factor is essential for quantitative image analysis.
Key words: emphysema, alpha 1-antitrypsin deficiency, lung densitometry
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