UCL Discovery
UCL home » Library Services » Electronic resources » UCL Discovery

Automated airway quantification associates with mortality in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

Cheung, Wing Keung; Pakzad, Ashkan; Mogulkoc, Nesrin; Needleman, Sarah; Rangelov, Bojidar; Gudmundsson, Eyjolfur; Zhao, An; ... Jacob, Joseph; + view all (2023) Automated airway quantification associates with mortality in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. European Radiology 10.1007/s00330-023-09914-4. (In press). Green open access

[thumbnail of s00330-023-09914-4.pdf]
Preview
PDF
s00330-023-09914-4.pdf - Published Version

Download (1MB) | Preview

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: The study examined whether quantified airway metrics associate with mortality in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). METHODS: In an observational cohort study (n = 90) of IPF patients from Ege University Hospital, an airway analysis tool AirQuant calculated median airway intersegmental tapering and segmental tortuosity across the 2nd to 6th airway generations. Intersegmental tapering measures the difference in median diameter between adjacent airway segments. Tortuosity evaluates the ratio of measured segmental length against direct end-to-end segmental length. Univariable linear regression analyses examined relationships between AirQuant variables, clinical variables, and lung function tests. Univariable and multivariable Cox proportional hazards models estimated mortality risk with the latter adjusted for patient age, gender, smoking status, antifibrotic use, CT usual interstitial pneumonia (UIP) pattern, and either forced vital capacity (FVC) or diffusion capacity of carbon monoxide (DLco) if obtained within 3 months of the CT. RESULTS: No significant collinearity existed between AirQuant variables and clinical or functional variables. On univariable Cox analyses, male gender, smoking history, no antifibrotic use, reduced DLco, reduced intersegmental tapering, and increased segmental tortuosity associated with increased risk of death. On multivariable Cox analyses (adjusted using FVC), intersegmental tapering (hazard ratio (HR) = 0.75, 95% CI = 0.66-0.85, p < 0.001) and segmental tortuosity (HR = 1.74, 95% CI = 1.22-2.47, p = 0.002) independently associated with mortality. Results were maintained with adjustment using DLco. CONCLUSIONS: AirQuant generated measures of intersegmental tapering and segmental tortuosity independently associate with mortality in IPF patients. Abnormalities in proximal airway generations, which are not typically considered to be abnormal in IPF, have prognostic value. CLINICAL RELEVANCE STATEMENT: Quantitative measurements of intersegmental tapering and segmental tortuosity, in proximal (second to sixth) generation airway segments, independently associate with mortality in IPF. Automated airway analysis can estimate disease severity, which in IPF is not restricted to the distal airway tree. KEY POINTS: • AirQuant generates measures of intersegmental tapering and segmental tortuosity. • Automated airway quantification associates with mortality in IPF independent of established measures of disease severity. • Automated airway analysis could be used to refine patient selection for therapeutic trials in IPF.

Type: Article
Title: Automated airway quantification associates with mortality in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis
Location: Germany
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1007/s00330-023-09914-4
Publisher version: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-023-09914-4
Language: English
Additional information: This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. The images or other third-party material in this article are included in the Creative Commons license, unless indicated otherwise in the credit line; if the material is not included under the Creative Commons license, users will need to obtain permission from the license holder to reproduce the material. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Keywords: Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, Lung, Mortality
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Medical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Medical Sciences > Div of Medicine
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Medical Sciences > Div of Medicine > Respiratory Medicine
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10174442
Downloads since deposit
Loading...
20Downloads
Download activity - last month
Loading...
Download activity - last 12 months
Loading...
Downloads by country - last 12 months
Loading...

Archive Staff Only

View Item View Item