Journal of thoracic imaging
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To evaluate the correlation between the computed tomography (CT)-derived right ventricle (RV) to left ventricle (LV) diameter ratio and the RV size determined by echocardiography in patients with acute pulmonary embolism. ⋯ CT and echocardiography findings to assess the RV size after acute pulmonary embolism have moderate correlation.
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The aim of the study was to compare the prognostic value of right ventricular (RV) dysfunction detected on computed tomography pulmonary angiography (CTPA) and transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) in patients with acute pulmonary embolism (PE). ⋯ Both RV strain on TTE and an increased CT RV/LV diameter ratio are predictors of PE-related 30-day mortality with similar prognostic significance.
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Pulmonary hypertension (PHTN) is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF), but a routine noninvasive test for evaluating PHTN is lacking. We aimed to determine whether there is a correlation between computed tomography (CT) signs for PHTN and lung disease severity in CF. ⋯ There was no correlation between parenchymal lung disease severity assessed by the modified Brody score and CT signs of PHTN in CF patients.
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Low-dose computed tomography screening in older patients with a heavy-smoking history can be viewed as an opportunity to screen for smoking-related illnesses and not just for lung cancer. Within the National Lung Screening Trial, 24.1% of all deaths were attributed to lung cancer, but there were significant competing causes of mortality in this patient population. Cardiovascular illness caused 24.8% of deaths. ⋯ Low-dose computed tomography of the thorax may provide information about these diseases, which could be used to guide therapeutic intervention and, hopefully, alter the courses of these diseases. Information about coronary artery calcification, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and potential extrapulmonary malignancy should be provided in the report of the screening examination. This must be balanced against the risk of the burden of false-positive findings and the costs, both psychological and financial, associated with additional investigative evaluations.
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The purpose of this review article is to review the process of developing optimal computed tomography (CT) protocols for quantitative lung CT (QCT). In this review, we discuss the following important topics: QCT-derived metrics of lung disease; QCT scanning protocols; quality control; and QCT image processing software. We will briefly discuss several QCT-derived metrics of lung disease that have been developed for the assessment of emphysema, small airway disease, and large airway disease. ⋯ We will discuss the use of QCT image processing software to segment the lung and extract the desired QCT metrics of lung disease. We will discuss the practical issues of using this software. The data obtained from the image processing software are then combined with those from other clinical examinations, health status questionnaires, pulmonary physiology, and genomics to increase our understanding of obstructive lung disease and improve our ability to design new therapies for these diseases.