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Objectives To compare and evaluate the usefulness of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with computed tomography (CT) in bronchiectasis; to compare MRI and CT scores with pulmonary function tests (PFT) and to evaluate the role of Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) in bronchiectasis. Methods In this prospective study, 25 patients between 7–21 y of age with a clinical/radiological diagnosis of bronchiectasis underwent MDCT and MRI chest. MRI and CT scoring was performed using modified Bhalla-Helbich’s score by two independent radiologists for all parameters. A final consensus score was recorded. The overall image quality of different MRI sequences to identify pathologies was also assessed. Appropriate statistical tests were used for inter-observer agreements, and correlation amongst CT and MRI; as well as CT, MRI and PFT. Results Strong agreement (ICC 0.80–0.95) between CT and MRI was seen for extent and severity of bronchiectasis, number of bullae, sacculation/abscess, emphysema, collapse/ consolidation, mucus plugging, and mosaic perfusion. Overall CT and MRI scores had perfect concordance (ICC 0.978). Statistically significant ( p -value <0.01) intra-observer and inter-observer agreement for all CT and MRI score parameters were seen. A strong negative correlation was seen between total CT and MRI severity scores and forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1), forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory flow (FEF) 25–75%. DWI MR, with an apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) cut-off of 1.62 × 10 –3 mm 3 /s had a sensitivity of 70% and specificity of 75% in detecting true mucus plugs. Conclusions MRI with DWI can be considered as a radiation-free alternative in the diagnostic algorithm for assessment of lung changes in bronchiectasis, especially in follow-up.

Background: Age-associated changes in the pulmonary system could be detected with imaging techniques. Widespread use of lung ultrasonography (US) requires characterization of a normal pattern. Objectives: To compare US and computed tomography (CT) findings in healthy subjects undergoing both techniques (with CT as the gold standard). Methods: We prospectively selected 59 subjects undergoing chest CT and US on the same day, without a history of smoking, respiratory symptoms, or known pulmonary pathologies. There were 44 patients in group 1 (age =60 years - elderly) and 15 patients in group 2 (age =50 years - young). Lung US was performed with a convex and a linear probe, and 10 chest areas per patient were analyzed. Convex and linear probe agreement was evaluated by means of the Cohen κ statistic; Fisher's exact test was used to compare categorical variables between groups. Results: Isolated B-lines were frequent in both group 1 (54.5%) and group 2 (40.0%); the number of chest areas positive for B-lines increased with age (16.1% in group 1 vs. 5.3% in group 2, p = 0.0028). In group 2, we found that 37.5% of subjects with B-lines had at least 1 chest area with multiple B-lines, but only 2 subjects had 2 or more. Moreover, in group 1 the chest CT documented a reticular pattern (2.3%), areas of increased density (9.1%), ground glass (6.8%), cysts (2.3%), bronchiectasis (22.7%), and bronchial thickening (6.8%); in group 2, only cysts (6.7%) and bronchiectasis (6.7%) were found. Conclusions: The senile lung is characterized by mild changes on CT and US. Chest areas positive for B-lines increase with age, and focal multiple B-lines can be found. However, diffuse patterns, especially in symptomatic subjects, suggest a different diagnosis.

Background: Non-cystic-fibrosis bronchiectasis (non-CF BE) continues to be a problem in developing countries and it is therefore important to examine and assess this disease. Objectives: The aims of this prospective study were to evaluate the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in non-CF BE children and also to assess the risk factors associated with HRQOL. Methods: Forty-two non-CF BE patients between the ages of 9 and 18 years were enrolled in the study. All recruited patients completed the generic Short-Form-36 (SF-36), the St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) for disease-specific QOL scale and forms on socioeconomic status (SES). The extent and severity of CT abnormalities were evaluated by using the modified Bhalla scoring system. Association between HRQOL questionnaires and demographic variables, pulmonary function test, high-resolution CT scores and SES were evaluated. Results: SF-36 and SGRQ subscales all correlated inversely with each other (SF-36 physical component summary with SGRQ symptoms score: r = -0.466, p = 0.001, activity score: r = -0.666, p = 0.000 and impact score: r = -0.667, p = 0.000. SF-36 mental component summary with SGRQ symptoms score: r = -0.396, p = 0.005, activity score: r = -0.533, p = 0.000 and impact score: r = -0.512, p = 0.000). There was an inverse correlation between SGRQ symptoms scores and the duration of regular follow-up (r = -0.3, p = 0.04). The symptoms subscale of SGRQ correlated positively with low values for pulmonary function testing (r = -0.417, p = 0.003) and frequent antibiotic requirements (r = 0.303, p = 0.035). Conclusions: Early diagnosis and regular follow-up of children with non-CF BE is important for improving their QOL. As expected, the severity and frequency of symptoms are inversely related to the pulmonary function and the QOL scores. A disease-specific questionnaire should be developed to monitor QOL in children with non-CF BE.

BackgroundPost-tuberculosis lung damage (PTLD) is a recognised consequence of pulmonary TB (pTB). However, little is known about its prevalence, patterns and associated outcomes, especially in sub-Saharan Africa and HIV-positive adults.MethodsAdult (≥15 years) survivors of a first episode of pTB in Blantyre, Malawi, completed the St George’s Respiratory Questionnaire, 6-minute walk test, spirometry and high-resolution CT (HRCT) chest imaging at TB treatment completion. Symptom, spirometry, health seeking, TB-retreatment and mortality data were collected prospectively to 1 year. Risk factors for persistent symptoms, pulmonary function decline and respiratory-related health-seeking were identified through multivariable regression modelling.ResultsBetween February 2016 and April 2017, 405 participants were recruited. Median age was 35 years (IQR: 28 to 41), 77.3% (313/405) had had microbiologically proven pTB, and 60.3% (244/403) were HIV-positive. At pTB treatment completion, 60.7% (246/405) reported respiratory symptoms, 34.2% (125/365) had abnormal spirometry, 44.2% (170/385) had bronchiectasis ≥1 lobe and 9.4% (36/385) had ≥1 destroyed lobe on HRCT imaging. At 1 year, 30.7% (113/368) reported respiratory symptoms, 19.3% (59/305) and 14.1% (43/305) of patients had experienced declines in FEV1 or FVC of ≥100 mL, 16.3% (62/380) had reported ≥1 acute respiratory event and 12.2% (45/368) had symptoms affecting their ability to work.ConclusionsPTLD is a common and under-recognised consequence of pTB that is disabling for patients and associated with adverse outcomes beyond pTB treatment completion. Increased efforts to prevent PTLD and guidelines for management of established disease are urgently needed. Low-cost clinical interventions to improve patient outcomes must be evaluated.

Abstract Rationale Chest computed tomography (CT) is the gold standard for demonstrating cystic fibrosis (CF) airway disease. However, there are no standardized outcome measures appropriate for children younger than 6 years. Objectives We developed the Perth-Rotterdam Annotated Grid Morphometric Analysis for CF (PRAGMA-CF), a quantitative measure of airway disease, and compared it with the commonly used CF-CT scoring method. Methods CT scans from the Australian Respiratory Early Surveillance Team for CF (AREST CF) cohort in Western Australia were included. PRAGMA-CF was performed by annotating a grid overlaid on 10 axial slices for the presence of bronchiectasis, mucous plugging, or other airway abnormalities (inspiratory scans) and trapped air (expiratory scans). The separate proportions of total disease (%Dis), bronchiectasis (%Bx), and trapped air (%TA) were determined. Thirty scans were used for observer reliability, and 30 paired scans obtained at 1 and 3 years old were used for comparison with a validated standard and biologic plausibility. Measurements and Main Results Intraobserver, intraclass correlation coefficients (95% confidence interval) for %Dis, %Bx, and %TA were 0.93 (0.86–0.97), 0.93 (0.85–0.96), and 0.96 (0.91–0.98), respectively. The change in %Dis (P = 0.004) and %Bx (P = 0.001) with PRAGMA-CF was related to neutrophil elastase presence at age 3, whereas only the change in bronchiectasis score was related to neutrophil elastase (P < 0.001) with CF-CT. Sample-size calculations for various effect sizes are presented. Conclusions PRAGMA-CF is a sensitive and reproducible outcome measure for assessing the extent of lung disease in very young children with CF.

ObjectivesTo compare the image quality of the lungs between ultra-high-resolution CT (U-HRCT) and conventional area detector CT (AD-CT) images.MethodsImage data of slit phantoms (0.35, 0.30, and 0.15 mm) and 11 cadaveric human lungs were acquired by both U-HRCT and AD-CT devices. U-HRCT images were obtained with three acquisition modes: normal mode (U-HRCTN: 896 channels, 0.5 mm × 80 rows; 512 matrix), super-high-resolution mode (U-HRCTSHR: 1792 channels, 0.25 mm × 160 rows; 1024 matrix), and volume mode (U-HRCTSHR-VOL: non-helical acquisition with U-HRCTSHR). AD-CT images were obtained with the same conditions as U-HRCTN. Three independent observers scored normal anatomical structures (vessels and bronchi), abnormal CT findings (faint nodules, solid nodules, ground-glass opacity, consolidation, emphysema, interlobular septal thickening, intralobular reticular opacities, bronchovascular bundle thickening, bronchiectasis, and honeycombing), noise, artifacts, and overall image quality on a 3-point scale (1 = worst, 2 = equal, 3 = best) compared with U-HRCTN. Noise values were calculated quantitatively.ResultsU-HRCT could depict a 0.15-mm slit. Both U-HRCTSHR and U-HRCTSHR-VOL significantly improved visualization of normal anatomical structures and abnormal CT findings, except for intralobular reticular opacities and reduced artifacts, compared with AD-CT (p < 0.014). Visually, U-HRCTSHR-VOL has less noise than U-HRCTSHR and AD-CT (p < 0.00001). Quantitative noise values were significantly higher in the following order: U-HRCTSHR (mean, 30.41), U-HRCTSHR-VOL (26.84), AD-CT (16.03), and U-HRCTN (15.14) (p < 0.0001). U-HRCTSHR and U-HRCTSHR-VOL resulted in significantly higher overall image quality than AD-CT and were almost equal to U-HRCTN (p < 0.0001).ConclusionsBoth U-HRCTSHR and U-HRCTSHR-VOL can provide higher image quality than AD-CT, while U-HRCTSHR-VOL was less noisy than U-HRCTSHR.Key Points• Ultra-high-resolution CT (U-HRCT) can improve spatial resolution.• U-HRCT can reduce streak and dark band artifacts.• U-HRCT can provide higher image quality than conventional area detector CT.• In U-HRCT, the volume mode is less noisy than the super-high-resolution mode.• U-HRCT may provide more detailed information about the lung anatomy and pathology.

Objectives To quantify airway and artery (AA)-dimensions in cystic fibrosis (CF) and control patients for objective CT diagnosis of bronchiectasis and airway wall thickness (AWT). Methods Spirometer-guided inspiratory and expiratory CTs of 11 CF and 12 control patients were collected retrospectively. Airway pathways were annotated semi-automatically to reconstruct three-dimensional bronchial trees. All visible AA-pairs were measured perpendicular to the airway axis. Inner, outer and AWT (outer−inner) diameter were divided by the adjacent artery diameter to compute A in A-, A out A- and A WT A-ratios. AA-ratios were predicted using mixed-effects models including disease status, lung volume, gender, height and age as covariates. Results Demographics did not differ significantly between cohorts. Mean AA-pairs CF: 299 inspiratory; 82 expiratory. Controls: 131 inspiratory; 58 expiratory. All ratios were significantly larger in inspiratory compared to expiratory CTs for both groups (p<0.001). A out A- and A WT A-ratios were larger in CF than in controls, independent of lung volume (p<0.01). Difference of A out A- and A WT A-ratios between patients with CF and controls increased significantly for every following airway generation (p<0.001). Conclusion Diagnosis of bronchiectasis is highly dependent on lung volume and more reliably diagnosed using outer airway diameter. Difference in bronchiectasis and AWT severity between the two cohorts increased with each airway generation. Key points • More peripheral airways are visible in CF patients compared to controls. • Structural lung changes in CF patients are greater with each airway generation. • Number of airways visualized on CT could quantify CF lung disease. • For objective airway disease quantification on CT, lung volume standardization is required.

Background Bronchiectasis is a common feature in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and rheumatoid arthritis-associated interstitial lung disease (RA-ILD). While these so-called traction bronchiectasis are often considered a secondary phenomenon in fibrosing ILD, their prognostic significance and relationship to respiratory pathogen detection and outcomes remain unclear. Methods We conducted a retrospective, single-center cohort study in IPF or fibrosing RA-ILD patients with available high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) and lower-respiratory tract microbial samples between 2014 and 2024. Bronchiectasis was assessed using the bronchiectasis subscore of the Brody score; fibrosis was quantified by deep-learning–based automated HRCT analysis. Primary outcome was 5-year transplant-free survival; secondary outcomes included isolation of pathogens per CDC criteria, PFT trajectories, bronchiectasis-associated symptoms, and hospitalization. Statistical methods included Cox regression, linear mixed-effects modeling and correlation analysis. Results 267 IPF and 56 RA-ILD patients were included. Median modified Brody score was 11.5 (IQR 7–16; max possible range 0–72). Higher Brody scores strongly correlated with fibrotic extent ( R  = 0.6, P  < 0.001). Higher scores had significantly lower baseline FVC and DLCO ( P  < 0.001), but no differences in PFT trajectories over time. In multivariable Cox regression, higher bronchiectasis scores were independently associated with mortality (HR 1.03 per point [95%CI 1.01–1.06], P  = 0.003); fibrosis extent showed similar results (HR 1.02, CI 1.00–1.03, P  = 0.017). Pathogens were found at a median of 3 months after baseline in 50.9% (IPF) and 46.4% (RA-ILD), without association with survival, symptoms or Brody scores. Staphylococcus aureus was most common (28.9%); Pseudomonas aeruginosa was rare (1.9%). Conclusion In both IPF and RA-ILD, higher bronchiectasis scores were associated with fibrosis extent and mortality, but not classical clinical bronchiectasis features. This supports traction bronchiectasis as a marker of fibrotic remodeling rather than a distinct syndrome. Trial registration Not applicable.

Background and objective Bronchiectasis is a frequent incidental finding on chest computed tomography (CT), but its relevance in lung cancer screening is not fully understood. We investigated the association between bronchiectasis and respiratory symptoms, pulmonary function, and emphysema in lung cancer screening participants with and without chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Methods We included 3260 (ex-)smokers from the Dutch-Belgian lung cancer screening trial (NELSON). Bronchiectasis was scored by chest radiologists. The relationship with pulmonary function (FEV1%predicted, FEV1/FVC), respiratory complaints (cough, dyspnea, wheezing, mucus hypersecretion), and CT-quantified emphysema (15th percentile) was examined with independent t -tests and multivariate regression. Results Bronchiectasis was present in 5.4% ( n  = 175/3260). There was no difference in prevalence between subjects with and without COPD (68/1121 [5.9%] vs. 109/2139 [5.1%]; p  = .368). COPD subjects with bronchiectasis had a lower FEV1%predicted (76.2% vs. 85.0%; p  < .001), lower FEV1/FVC (0.58 vs. 0.62; p  < .001), and more emphysema (− 938 HU vs. − 930 HU; p  = .001) than COPD subjects without bronchiectasis. In COPD subjects, bronchiectasis was independently associated with a lower FEV1%predicted ( B  =  − 7.7; CI [− 12.3, − 3.3]), lower FEV1/FVC ( B  =  − 2.5; CI [− 4.3, − 0.8]), more cough (OR 2.4; CI [1.3, 4.3]), more mucus hypersecretion (OR 1.8; CI [1.0, 3.1]) and more dyspnea (OR 2.3; CI [1.3, 3.9]). In those without COPD ( n  = 2139), bronchiectasis was associated with more cough, mucus hypersecretion, and wheezing, but not with deteriorating lung function. Conclusion Bronchiectasis was present in 5.4% of our lung cancer screening participants and was associated with more respiratory symptoms and, in those with COPD, with lower lung function and more emphysema. Clinical relevance statement In a lung cancer screening population, bronchiectasis has a prevalence of 5.4% with a mainly mild severity. This finding is of little clinical relevance unless mild COPD is also present. In those subjects, bronchiectasis was associated with a lower lung function, more respiratory symptoms, and more emphysema. Key Points • Bronchiectasis was found in 5.4% of lung cancer screening participants, consisting of (ex-)smokers with and without mild COPD. • In those with mild COPD, bronchiectasis was associated with a lower lung function, more respiratory symptoms, and more emphysema. • Incidental findings of mild bronchiectasis are not very relevant in a lung cancer screening population, unless COPD is also present.

Abstract Rationale The prevalence of bronchiectasis is high in patients with moderate-to-severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and it has been associated with exacerbations and bacterial colonization. These have demonstrated some degree of prognostic value in patients with COPD but no information about the relationship between bronchiectasis and mortality in patients with COPD is currently available. Objectives To assess the prognostic value of bronchiectasis in patients with moderate-to-severe COPD. Methods Multicenter prospective observational study in consecutive patients with moderate-to-severe COPD. Bronchiectasis was diagnosed by high-resolution computed tomography scan. A complete standardized protocol was used in all patients covering general, anthrophometric, functional, clinical, and microbiologic data. After follow-up, the vital status was recorded in all patients. Multivariate Cox analysis was used to determine the independent adjusted prognostic value of bronchiectasis. Measurements and Main Results Ninety-nine patients in Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) II, 85 in GOLD III, and 17 in GOLD IV stages were included. Bronchiectasis was present in 115 (57.2%) patients. During the follow-up (median, 48 mo [interquartile range, 35–53]) there were 51 deaths (43 deaths in the bronchiectasic group). Bronchiectasis was associated with an increased risk of fully adjusted mortality (hazard ratio, 2.54; 95% confidence interval, 1.16–5.56; P = 0.02). Conclusions Bronchiectasis was associated with an independent increased risk of all-cause mortality in patients with moderate-to-severe COPD.