The Normal Lung Index From Quantitative Computed Tomography for the Evaluation of Obstructive and Restrictive Lung Disease

Purpose: Our objective was to evaluate whether the normal lung index (NLI) from quantitative computed tomography (QCT) analysis can be used to predict mortality as well as pulmonary function tests (PFTs) in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and interstitial lung disease (ILD). Materials and Methods: Normal subjects (n=20) and patients with COPD (n=172) and ILD (n=114) who underwent PFTs and chest CT were enrolled retrospectively in this study. QCT measures included the NLI, defined as the ratio of the lung with attenuation between –950 and –700 Hounsfield units (HU) over the total lung volume (−1024 to −250 HU, mL), high-attenuation area (–700 to –250 HU, %), emphysema index (>6% of pixels
Source: Journal of Thoracic Imaging - Category: Radiology Tags: Original Articles Source Type: research