Asthma and COPD Could be Differentiated Using CT
Computed tomography (CT) can be used to differentia between asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in patients presenting with respiratory symptoms, according to a recent study.
The study included 69 patients with COPD, 52 patients with asthma, and 20 healthy subjects who underwent CT imaging and pulmonary function tests (PFTs). CT measurements were compared in order to identify differences between COPD and asthma, and PFT measurements were used to validate the differentiation between patients.
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Overall, the researchers found significant differences in inspiratory emphysema index (EI)-950(%), expiratory lung volume, expiratory mean lung density (MLD), and expiratory EI-950 (%) and EI-850 (%) between patients with asthma, patients with COPD, and healthy subjects. Patients with COPD had a significantly higher EI-950 (%) compared with patients with asthma.
In addition, there were significant differences in the lumen area (LA), wall area (WA), total area, and Pi10WA. Patient with asthma had significantly higher WA%/wall volume% compared with patients with COPD and healthy subjects.
EI-950 (%), EI-850 (%) and expiratory MLD in the parenchyma had high sensitivity in differentiating COPD and asthma. Likewise, LA and Pi10WA in small airways had high sensitivity in differentiating both conditions.
“To aid the diagnosis, CT can provide quantitative measurements to differentiate between COPD and asthma patients,” the researchers concluded.
—Melissa Weiss
Reference:
Chen H, Zeng QS, Zhang M, et al. Quantitative low-dose computed tomography of the lung parenchyma and airways for the differentiation between chronic obstructive pulmonary Disease and asthma patients [July 25, 2017]. Respiration. https://doi.org/10.1159/000478531.