Preacinar Arterial Dilation Mediates Outcomes of Quantitative Interstitial Abnormalities in COPDGene.

RATIONALE: Quantitative interstitial abnormalities (QIA) are a computed tomography (CT) measure of early parenchymal lung disease associated with worse clinical outcomes including exercise capacity and symptoms. The presence of pulmonary vasculopathy in QIA and its role in the QIA-outcome relationship is unknown. OBJECTIVES: To quantify radiographic pulmonary vasculopathy in quantitative interstitial abnormalities (QIA) and determine if this vasculopathy mediates the QIA-outcome relationship. METHODS: Ever-smokers with QIA, outcome, and pulmonary vascular mediator data were identified from the COPDGene cohort. CT-based vascular mediators were: right ventricle-to-left ventricle ratio (RV/LV), pulmonary artery-to-aorta ratio (PA/Ao), and pre-acinar intraparenchymal arterial dilation (PA volume 5-20mm2 in cross-sectional area, normalized to total arterial volume). Outcomes were: six-minute walk distance (6MWD) and modified Medical Council Research Council (mMRC) Dyspnea score ≥2. Adjusted causal mediation analyses were used to determine if the pulmonary vasculature mediated the QIA effect on outcomes. Associations of pre-acinar arterial dilation with select plasma biomarkers of pulmonary vascular dysfunction were examined. MAIN RESULTS: Among 8,200 participants, QIA burden correlated positively with vascular damage measures including pre-acinar arterial dilation. Pre-acinar arterial dilation mediated 79.6% of the detrimental impact of QIA on 6MWD (56.2-100%, p<0.001). PA/Ao was a weak mediator and RV/LV was a suppressor. Similar results were observed in the QIA-mMRC relationship. Pre-acinar arterial dilation correlated with increased pulmonary vascular dysfunction biomarker levels including angiopoietin-2 and NT-proBNP. CONCLUSIONS: Parenchymal quantitative interstitial abnormalities (QIA) deleteriously impact outcomes primarily through pulmonary vasculopathy. Pre-acinar arterial dilation may be a novel marker of pulmonary vasculopathy in QIA.

Suspected Bronchiectasis and Mortality in Adults With a History of Smoking Who Have Normal and Impaired Lung Function : A Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: Bronchiectasis in adults with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is associated with greater mortality. However, whether suspected bronchiectasis-defined as incidental bronchiectasis on computed tomography (CT) images plus clinical manifestation-is associated with increased mortality in adults with a history of smoking with normal spirometry and preserved ratio impaired spirometry (PRISm) is unknown. OBJECTIVE: To determine the association between suspected bronchiectasis and mortality in adults with normal spirometry, PRISm, and obstructive spirometry. DESIGN: Prospective, observational cohort. SETTING: The COPDGene (Genetic Epidemiology of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) study. PARTICIPANTS: 7662 non-Hispanic Black or White adults, aged 45 to 80 years, with 10 or more pack-years of smoking history. Participants who were former and current smokers were stratified into normal spirometry (n = 3277), PRISm (n = 986), and obstructive spirometry (n = 3399). MEASUREMENTS: Bronchiectasis identified by CT was ascertained using artificial intelligence-based measurements of an airway-to-artery ratio (AAR) greater than 1 (AAR >1), a measure of bronchial dilatation. The primary outcome of "suspected bronchiectasis" was defined as an AAR >1 of greater than 1% plus 2 of the following: cough, phlegm, dyspnea, and history of 2 or more exacerbations. RESULTS: Among the 7662 participants (mean age, 60 years; 52% women), 1352 (17.6%) had suspected bronchiectasis. During a median follow-up of 11 years, 2095 (27.3%) died. Ten-year mortality risk was higher in participants with suspected bronchiectasis, compared with those without suspected bronchiectasis (normal spirometry: difference in mortality probability [Pr], 0.15 [95% CI, 0.09 to 0.21]; PRISm: Pr, 0.07 [CI, -0.003 to 0.15]; obstructive spirometry: Pr, 0.06 [CI, 0.03 to 0.09]). When only CT was used to identify bronchiectasis, the differences were attenuated in the normal spirometry (Pr, 0.04 [CI, -0.001 to 0.08]). LIMITATIONS: Only 2 racial groups were studied. Only 1 measurement was used to define bronchiectasis on CT. Symptoms of suspected bronchiectasis were nonspecific. CONCLUSION: Suspected bronchiectasis was associated with a heightened risk for mortality in adults with normal and obstructive spirometry. PRIMARY FUNDING SOURCE: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

Artificial Intelligence-based CT Assessment of Bronchiectasis: The COPDGene Study.

Background CT is the standard method used to assess bronchiectasis. A higher airway-to-artery diameter ratio (AAR) is typically used to identify enlarged bronchi and bronchiectasis; however, current imaging methods are limited in assessing the extent of this metric in CT scans. Purpose To determine the extent of AARs using an artificial intelligence-based chest CT and assess the association of AARs with exacerbations over time. Materials and Methods In a secondary analysis of ever-smokers from the prospective, observational, multicenter COPDGene study, AARs were quantified using an artificial intelligence tool. The percentage of airways with AAR greater than 1 (a measure of airway dilatation) in each participant on chest CT scans was determined. Pulmonary exacerbations were prospectively determined through biannual follow-up (from July 2009 to September 2021). Multivariable zero-inflated regression models were used to assess the association between the percentage of airways with AAR greater than 1 and the total number of pulmonary exacerbations over follow-up. Covariates included demographics, lung function, and conventional CT parameters. Results Among 4192 participants (median age, 59 years; IQR, 52-67 years; 1878 men [45%]), 1834 had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). During a 10-year follow-up and in adjusted models, the percentage of airways with AARs greater than 1 (quartile 4 vs 1) was associated with a higher total number of exacerbations (risk ratio [RR], 1.08; 95% CI: 1.02, 1.15; P = .01). In participants meeting clinical and imaging criteria of bronchiectasis (ie, clinical manifestations with ≥3% of AARs >1) versus those who did not, the RR was 1.37 (95% CI: 1.31, 1.43; P < .001). Among participants with COPD, the corresponding RRs were 1.10 (95% CI: 1.02, 1.18; P = .02) and 1.32 (95% CI: 1.26, 1.39; P < .001), respectively. Conclusion In ever-smokers with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, artificial intelligence-based CT measures of bronchiectasis were associated with more exacerbations over time. Clinical trial registration no. NCT00608764 © RSNA, 2022 Supplemental material is available for this article. See also the editorial by Schiebler and Seo in this issue.

CT imaging determinants of persistent hypoxemia in acute intermediate-risk pulmonary embolism.

The factors associated with persistent hypoxemia after pulmonary embolus (PE) are not well understood. Predicting the need for oxygen post discharge at the time of diagnosis using available CT imaging will enable better discharge planning. To examine the relationship between CT derived imaging markers (automated computation of arterial small vessel fraction, pulmonary artery diameter to aortic diameter ratio (PA:A), right to left ventricular diameter ratio (RV:LV) and new oxygen requirement at the time of discharge in patients diagnosed with acute intermediate-risk PE. CT measurements were obtained in a retrospective cohort of patients with acute-intermediate risk PE admitted to Brigham and Women's Hospital between 2009 and 2017. Twenty one patients without a history of lung disease requiring home oxygen and 682 patients without discharge oxygen requirements were identified. There was an increased median PA:A ratio (0.98 vs. 0.92, p = 0.02) and arterial small vessel fraction (0.32 vs. 0.39, p = 0.001) in the oxygen-requiring group], but no difference in the median RV:LV ratio (1.20 vs. 1.20, p = 0.74). Being in the upper quantile for the arterial small vessel fraction was associated with decreased odds of oxygen requirement (OR 0.30 [0.10-0.78], p = 0.02). Loss of arterial small vessel volume as measured by arterial small vessel fraction and an increase in the PA:A ratio at the time of diagnosis were associated with the presence of persistent hypoxemia on discharge in acute intermediate-risk PE.

Smaller Left Ventricle Size at Noncontrast CT Is Associated with Lower Mortality in COPDGene Participants.

Background Smokers with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) have smaller left ventricles (LVs) due to reduced preload. Skeletal muscle wasting is also common in COPD, but less is known about its contribution to LV size. Purpose To explore the relationships between CT metrics of emphysema, venous vascular volume, and sarcopenia with the LV epicardial volume (LVEV) (myocardium and chamber) estimated from chest CT images in participants with COPD and then to determine the clinical relevance of the LVEV in multivariable models, including sex and anthropomorphic metrics. Materials and Methods The COPDGene study (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00608764) is an ongoing prospective longitudinal observational investigation that began in 2006. LVEV, distal pulmonary venous blood volume for vessels smaller than 5 mm2 in cross section (BV5), CT emphysema, and pectoralis muscle area were retrospectively extracted from 3318 nongated, unenhanced COPDGene CT scans. Multivariable linear and Cox regression models were used to explore the association between emphysema, venous BV5, pectoralis muscle area, and LVEV as well as the association of LVEV with health status using the St George's Respiratory Questionnaire, 6-minute walk distance, and all-cause mortality. Results The median age of the cohort was 64 years (interquartile range, 57-70 years). Of the 2423 participants, 1806 were men and 617 were African American. The median LVEV between Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) 1 and GOLD 4 COPD was reduced by 13.9% in women and 17.7% in men (P < .001 for both). In fully adjusted models, higher emphysema percentage (ß = -4.2; 95% confidence interval [CI]: -5.0, -3.4; P < .001), venous BV5 (ß = 7.0; 95% CI: 5.7, 8.2; P < .001), and pectoralis muscle area (ß = 2.7; 95% CI: 1.2, 4.1; P < .001) were independently associated with reduced LVEV. Reductions in LVEV were associated with improved health status (ß = 0.3; 95% CI: 0.1, 0.4) and 6-minute walk distance (ß = -12.2; 95% CI: -15.2, -9.3). These effects were greater in women than in men. The effect of reduced LVEV on mortality (hazard ratio: 1.07; 95% CI: 1.05, 1.09) did not vary by sex. Conclusion In women more than men with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, a reduction in the estimated left ventricle epicardial volume correlated with a loss of pulmonary venous vasculature, greater pectoralis muscle sarcopenia, and lower all-cause mortality. © RSNA, 2020 Online supplemental material is available for this article.

Arterial Vascular Pruning, Right Ventricular Size, and Clinical Outcomes in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. A Longitudinal Observational Study.

Rationale: Cor pulmonale (right ventricular [RV] dilation) and cor pulmonale parvus (RV shrinkage) are both described in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The identification of emphysema as a shared risk factor suggests that additional disease characterization is needed to understand these widely divergent cardiac processes.Objectives: To explore the relationship between computed tomography measures of emphysema and distal pulmonary arterial morphology with RV volume, and their association with exercise capacity and mortality in ever-smokers with COPD enrolled in the COPDGene Study.Methods: Epicardial (myocardium and chamber) RV volume (RVEV), distal pulmonary arterial blood vessel volume (arterial BV5: vessels <5 mm2 in cross-section), and objective measures of emphysema were extracted from 3,506 COPDGene computed tomography scans. Multivariable linear and Cox regression models and the log-rank test were used to explore the association between emphysema, arterial BV5, and RVEV with exercise capacity (6-min-walk distance) and all-cause mortality.Measurements and Main Results: The RVEV was approximately 10% smaller in Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease stage 4 versus stage 1 COPD (P < 0.0001). In multivariable modeling, a 10-ml decrease in arterial BV5 (pruning) was associated with a 1-ml increase in RVEV. For a given amount of emphysema, relative preservation of the arterial BV5 was associated with a smaller RVEV. An increased RVEV was associated with reduced 6-minute-walk distance and in those with arterial pruning an increased mortality.Conclusions: Pulmonary arterial pruning is associated with clinically significant increases in RV volume in smokers with COPD and is related to exercise capacity and mortality in COPD.Clinical trial registered with www.clinicaltrials.gov (NCT00608764).

Pulmonary vascular density: comparison of findings on computed tomography imaging with histology.

BACKGROUND: Exposure to cigarette smoke has been shown to lead to vascular remodelling. Computed tomography (CT) imaging measures of vascular pruning have been associated with pulmonary vascular disease, an important morbidity associated with smoking. In this study we compare CT-based measures of distal vessel loss to histological vascular and parenchymal changes. METHODS: A retrospective review of 80 patients who had undergone lung resection identified patients with imaging appropriate for three-dimensional (3D) vascular reconstruction (n=18) and a second group for two-dimensional (2D) analysis (n=19). Measurements of the volume of the small vessels (3D) and the cross-sectional area of the small vessels (<5 mm2 cross-section) were computed. Histological measures of cross-sectional area of the vasculature and loss of alveoli septa were obtained for all subjects. RESULTS: The 2D cross-sectional area of the vasculature on CT imaging was associated with the histological vascular cross-sectional area (r=0.69; p=0.001). The arterial small vessel volume assessed by CT correlated with the histological vascular cross-sectional area (r=0.50; p=0.04), a relationship that persisted even when adjusted for CT-derived measures of emphysema in a regression model. CONCLUSIONS: Loss of small vessel volume in CT imaging of smokers is associated with histological loss of vascular cross-sectional area. Imaging-based quantification of pulmonary vasculature provides a noninvasive method to study the multiscale effects of smoking on the pulmonary circulation.

Peripheral tumour targeting using open-source virtual bronchoscopy with electromagnetic tracking: a multi-user pre-clinical study.

Objectives: The goal was to demonstrate the utility of open-source tracking and visualisation tools in the targeting of lung cancer.Material and methods: The study demonstrates the first deployment of the Anser electromagnetic (EM) tracking system with the CustusX image-guided interventional research platform to navigate using an endobronchial catheter to injected tumour targets. Live animal investigations validated the deployment and targeting of peripheral tumour models using an innovative tumour marking routine.Results: Novel tumour model deployment was successfully achieved at all eight target sites across two live animal investigations without pneumothorax. Virtual bronchoscopy with tracking successfully guided the tracked catheter to 2-12 mm from the target tumour site. Deployment of a novel marker was achieved at all eight sites providing a reliable measure of targeting accuracy. Targeting accuracy within 10 mm was achieved in 7/8 sites and in all cases, the virtual target distance at marker deployment was within the range subsequently measured with x-ray.Conclusions: Endobronchial targeting of peripheral airway targets is feasible using existing open-source technology. Notwithstanding the shortcomings of current commercial platforms, technological improvements in EM tracking and registration accuracy fostered by open-source technology may provide the impetus for widespread clinical uptake of electromagnetic navigation in bronchoscopy.

Densitometric and local histogram based analysis of computed tomography images in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

BACKGROUND: Prior studies of clinical prognostication in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) using computed tomography (CT) have often used subjective analyses or have evaluated quantitative measures in isolation. This study examined associations between both densitometric and local histogram based quantitative CT measurements with pulmonary function test (PFT) parameters and mortality. In addition, this study sought to compare risk prediction scores that incorporate quantitative CT measures with previously described systems. METHODS: Forty six patients with biopsy proven IPF were identified from a registry of patients with interstitial lung disease at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, MA. CT scans for each subject were visually scored using a previously published method. After a semi-automated method was used to segment the lungs from the surrounding tissue, densitometric measurements including the percent high attenuating area, mean lung density, skewness and kurtosis were made for the entirety of each patient's lungs. A separate, automated tool was used to detect and quantify the percent of lung occupied by interstitial lung features. These analyses were used to create clinical and quantitative CT based risk prediction scores, and the performance of these was compared to the performance of clinical and visual analysis based methods. RESULTS: All of the densitometric measures were correlated with forced vital capacity and diffusing capacity, as were the total amount of interstitial change and the percentage of interstitial change that was honeycombing measured using the local histogram method. Higher percent high attenuating area, higher mean lung density, lower skewness, lower kurtosis and a higher percentage of honeycombing were associated with worse transplant free survival. The quantitative CT based risk prediction scores performed similarly to the clinical and visual analysis based methods. CONCLUSIONS: Both densitometric and feature based quantitative CT measures correlate with pulmonary function test measures and are associated with transplant free survival. These objective measures may be useful for identifying high risk patients and monitoring disease progression. Further work will be needed to validate these measures and the quantitative imaging based risk prediction scores in other cohorts.

Optimizing parameters of an open-source airway segmentation algorithm using different CT images.

BACKGROUND: Computed tomography (CT) helps physicians locate and diagnose pathological conditions. In some conditions, having an airway segmentation method which facilitates reconstruction of the airway from chest CT images can help hugely in the assessment of lung diseases. Many efforts have been made to develop airway segmentation algorithms, but methods are usually not optimized to be reliable across different CT scan parameters. METHODS: In this paper, we present a simple and reliable semi-automatic algorithm which can segment tracheal and bronchial anatomy using the open-source 3D Slicer platform. The method is based on a region growing approach where trachea, right and left bronchi are cropped and segmented independently using three different thresholds. The algorithm and its parameters have been optimized to be efficient across different CT scan acquisition parameters. The performance of the proposed method has been evaluated on EXACT'09 cases and local clinical cases as well as on a breathing pig lung phantom using multiple scans and changing parameters. In particular, to investigate multiple scan parameters reconstruction kernel, radiation dose and slice thickness have been considered. Volume, branch count, branch length and leakage presence have been evaluated. A new method for leakage evaluation has been developed and correlation between segmentation metrics and CT acquisition parameters has been considered. RESULTS: All the considered cases have been segmented successfully with good results in terms of leakage presence. Results on clinical data are comparable to other teams' methods, as obtained by evaluation against the EXACT09 challenge, whereas results obtained from the phantom prove the reliability of the method across multiple CT platforms and acquisition parameters. As expected, slice thickness is the parameter affecting the results the most, whereas reconstruction kernel and radiation dose seem not to particularly affect airway segmentation. CONCLUSION: The system represents the first open-source airway segmentation platform. The quantitative evaluation approach presented represents the first repeatable system evaluation tool for like-for-like comparison between different airway segmentation platforms. Results suggest that the algorithm can be considered stable across multiple CT platforms and acquisition parameters and can be considered as a starting point for the development of a complete airway segmentation algorithm.

CNNs trained with adult data are useful in pediatrics. A pneumonia classification example.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The scarcity of data for training deep learning models in pediatrics has prompted questions about the feasibility of employing CNNs trained with adult images for pediatric populations. In this work, a pneumonia classification CNN was used as an exploratory example to showcase the adaptability and efficacy of such models in pediatric healthcare settings despite the inherent data constraints. METHODS: To develop a curated training dataset with reduced biases, 46,947 chest X-ray images from various adult datasets were meticulously selected. Two preprocessing approaches were tried to assess the impact of thoracic segmentation on model attention outside the thoracic area. Evaluation of our approach was carried out on a dataset containing 5,856 chest X-rays of children from 1 to 5 years old. RESULTS: An analysis of attention maps indicated that networks trained with thorax segmentation placed less attention on regions outside the thorax, thus eliminating potential bias. The ensuing network exhibited impressive performance when evaluated on an adult dataset, achieving a pneumonia discrimination AUC of 0.95. When tested on a pediatric dataset, the pneumonia discrimination AUC reached 0.82. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study show that adult-trained CNNs can be effectively applied to pediatric populations. This could potentially shift focus towards validating adult models over pediatric population instead of training new CNNs with limited pediatric data. To ensure the generalizability of deep learning models, it is important to implement techniques aimed at minimizing biases, such as image segmentation or low-quality image exclusion.

COPD: pulmonary vascular volume associated with cardiac structure and function.

BACKGROUND: Early recognition of cardiac dysfunction in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) may prevent future cardiac impairment and improve prognosis. Quantitative assessment of subsegmental and segmental vessel volume by Computed Tomographic (CT) imaging can provide a surrogate of pulmonary vascular remodeling. We aimed to examine the relationship between lung segmental- and subsegmental vessel volume, and echocardiographic measures of cardiac structure and function in patients with COPD. METHODS: We studied 205 participants with COPD, included in a large cohort study of cardiovascular disease in COPD patients. Participants had an available CT scan and echocardiogram. Artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms calculated the subsegmental vessel fraction as the vascular volume in vessels below 10 mm2 in cross-sectional area, indexed to total intrapulmonary vessel volume. Linear regressions were conducted, and standardized ß-coefficients were calculated. Scatterplots were created to visualize the continuous correlations between the vessel fractions and echocardiographic parameters. RESULTS: We found that lower subsegmental vessel fraction and higher segmental vessel volume were correlated with higher left ventricular (LV) mass, LV diastolic dysfunction, and inferior vena cava (IVC) dilatation. Subsegmental vessel fraction was correlated with right ventricular (RV) remodeling, while segmental vessel fraction was correlated with higher pulmonary pressure. Measures of LV mass and right atrial pressure displayed the strongest correlations with pulmonary vasculature measures. CONCLUSION: Pulmonary vascular remodeling in patients with COPD, may negatively affect cardiac structure and function. AI-identified remodeling in pulmonary vasculature may provide a tool for early identification of COPD patients at higher risk for cardiac impairment.

QUANTITATIVE BIOMARKERS REPRODUCIBILITY USING GENERATIVE ADVERSARIAL APPROACHES IN REDUCED TO CONVENTIONAL DOSE CT.

In recent years, several techniques for image-to-image translation by means of generative adversarial neural networks (GAN) have been proposed to learn mapping characteristics between a source and a target domain. In particular, in the medical imaging field conditional GAN frameworks with paired samples (cGAN) and unconditional cycle-consistent GANs with unpaired data (CycleGAN) have been demonstrated as a powerful scheme to model non-linear mappings that produce realistic target images from different modality sources. When proposing the usage and adaptation of these frameworks for medical image synthesis, quantitative and qualitative validation are usually performed by assessing the similarity between synthetic and target images in terms of metrics such as mean absolute error (MAE) or structural similarity (SSIM) index. However, an evaluation of clinically relevant markers showing that diagnostic information is not overlooked in the translation process is often missing. In this work, we aim at demonstrating the importance of validating medical image-to-image translation techniques by assessing their effect on the measurement of clinically relevant metrics and biomarkers. We implemented both a conditional and an unconditional approach to synthesize conventional dose chest CT scans from reduced dose CT and show that while both visually and in terms of traditional metrics the network appears to successfully minimize perceptual discrepancies, these methods are not reliable to systematically reproduce quantitative measurements of various chest biomarkers.

Association Between Pulmonary Vascular Volume and Cardiac Structure and Function in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation.

Pulmonary vascular abnormalities, quantified from computed tomography scans, have frequently been observed in patients with pulmonary diseases. However, little is known about pulmonary vascular changes in patients with cardiac disease. Thus, we aimed to examine the cardiopulmonary relation in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) by comparing pulmonary vascular volume (PVV) to echocardiographic measures and AF severity. A total of 742 patients (median age 63 years, 70% men) who underwent ablation for AF were included. Preprocedural cardiac computed tomography was used to measure the total and small-vessel PVV, along with the pulmonary artery to aorta ratio and the degree of emphysema. The association between PVV and echocardiographic parameters was evaluated using a multivariable linear regression analysis. Lower total and small-vessel PVV were associated with more impaired measures of cardiac structure and function, including but not limited to left ventricular ejection fraction and peak atrial longitudinal strain. Patients with reduced total and small-vessel PVV had higher odds of having persistent AF than paroxysmal AF in the unadjusted logistic regression analyses. However, after clinical and echocardiographic adjustments, only reduced small-vessel PVV remained independently associated with persistent AF (odds ratio 1.90, 95% confidence interval 1.26 to 2.87, p = 0.002). In conclusion, pulmonary vascular remodeling is associated with persistent AF and with more impaired measures of cardiac structure and function, providing further insights into heart-lung interactions in this patient group.

Silent Airway Mucus Plugs in COPD and Clinical Implications.

BACKGROUND: Airway mucus plugs are frequently identified on CT scans of patients with COPD with a smoking history without mucus-related symptoms (ie, cough, phlegm [silent mucus plugs]). RESEARCH QUESTION: In patients with COPD, what are the risk and protective factors associated with silent airway mucus plugs? Are silent mucus plugs associated with functional, structural, and clinical measures of disease? STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: We identified mucus plugs on chest CT scans of participants with COPD from the COPDGene study. The mucus plug score was defined as the number of pulmonary segments with mucus plugs, ranging from 0 to 18, and categorized into three groups (0, 1-2, and ≥ 3). We determined risk and protective factors for silent mucus plugs and the associations of silent mucus plugs with measures of disease severity using multivariable linear and logistic regression models. RESULTS: Of 4,363 participants with COPD, 1,739 had no cough or phlegm. Among the 1,739 participants, 627 (36%) had airway mucus plugs identified on CT scan. Risk factors of silent mucus plugs (compared with symptomatic mucus plugs) were older age (OR, 1.02), female sex (OR, 1.40), and Black race (OR, 1.93) (all P values < .01). Among those without cough or phlegm, silent mucus plugs (vs absence of mucus plugs) were associated with worse 6-min walk distance, worse resting arterial oxygen saturation, worse FEV1 % predicted, greater emphysema, thicker airway walls, and higher odds of severe exacerbation in the past year in adjusted models. INTERPRETATION: Mucus plugs are common in patients with COPD without mucus-related symptoms. Silent mucus plugs are associated with worse functional, structural, and clinical measures of disease. CT scan-identified mucus plugs can complement the evaluation of patients with COPD.

Pulmonary arterial pruning is associated with CT-derived bronchiectasis progression in smokers.

Loss of small pulmonary arteries measured as the ratio of blood vessel volume in arteries <5 mm2 in cross-section to total arterial blood vessel volume (BV5a/TBVa), with lower values indicating more pruning, was associated with 5-yr progressing CT-derived bronchiectasis in smokers (Odds Ratio (OR) [95% Confidence interval], 1.28 [1.07-1.53] per 5% lower BV5a/TBVa, P = 0.007). Corresponding results in smokers with COPD were: OR 1.45 [1.11-1.89] per 5% lower BV5a/TBVa, P = 0.007. The results support a vascular factor for structural progression of bronchiectasis.

Paired CT Measures of Emphysema and Small Airways Disease and Lung Function and Exercise Capacity in Smokers with Radiographic Bronchiectasis.

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES: Bronchiectasis (BE) is associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), but emphysema and small airways disease, main pathologic features of COPD, have been sparsely studied in BE. We aimed to objectively assess those features in smokers with and without radiographic BE and examine its relationships to airflow obstruction and exercise capacity. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We measured emphysema and small airways disease on paired inspiratory-expiratory computed tomography (CT) scans with the parametric response map (PRMEMPH and PRMSAD) method in 1184 smokers with and without radiographic BE. PRMSAD and PRMEMPH are expressed as the percentage of lung area. Clinical, spirometry, and exercise capacity data were measured with standardized methods. The differences in PRMSAD and PRMEMPH between subjects with and without radiographic BE were assessed using multivariable linear regression analysis, and their associations with FEV1 and six-minute walk test (6MWT) were assessed with generalized linear models. RESULTS: Out of 1184 subjects, 383 (32%) had radiographic BE. PRMEMPH but not PRMSAD was higher in subjects with radiographic BE than those without radiographic BE in adjusted models. Subjects with radiographic BE and PRMEMPH (defined as ≥5% on paired CTs) had lower FEV1 (least square mean, 1479 mL vs. 2350 mL p < 0.0001) and 6MWT (372 m vs. 426 m p = 0.0007) than those with radiographic BE alone in adjusted models. CONCLUSION: Smokers with radiographic BE have an increased burden of emphysema on paired CTs, and those with radiographic BE and emphysema have lower airflow and exercise capacity.