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Consistency of Lung Expansion and Contraction During Respiration: Implications for Quantitative Imaging
T Patton1*, K Du1 , G Christensen2 , J Reinhardt2 , J Bayouth1 ,(1) University of Wisconsin Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, (2) University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA
Presentations
TU-A-12A-1 Tuesday 7:30AM - 9:30AM Room: 12APurpose: Four-dimensional computed tomography (4DCT) can be used to evaluate longitudinal changes in pulmonary function. The sensitivity of such measurements to identify function change may be improved with reproducible breathing patterns. The purpose of this study was to determine if inhale was more consistent than exhale, i.e., lung expansion during inhalation compared to lung contraction during exhalation.
Methods: Repeat 4DCT image data acquired within a short time interval from 8 patients. Using a tissue volume preserving deformable image registration algorithm, Jacobian ventilation maps in two scanning sessions were computed and compared on the same coordinate for reproducibility analysis. Equivalent lung volumes (ELV) were used for 5 subjects and equivalent title volumes (ETV) for the 3 subjects who experienced a baseline shift between scans. In addition, gamma pass rate was calculated from a modified gamma index evaluation between two ventilation maps, using acceptance criterions of 2mm distance-to-agreement and 5% ventilation difference. The gamma pass rates were then compared using paired t-test to determine if there was a significant difference.
Results: Inhalation was more reproducible than exhalation. In the 5 ELV subjects 78.5% of the lung voxels met the gamma criteria for expansion during inhalation when comparing the two scans, while significantly fewer (70.9% of the lung voxels) met the gamma criteria for contraction during exhalation (p = .027). In the 8 total subjects analyzed the average gamma pass rate for expansion during inhalation was 75.2% while for contraction during exhalation it was 70.3%; which trended towards significant (p = .064).
Conclusion: This work implies inhalation is more reproducible than exhalation, when equivalent respiratory volumes are considered. The reason for this difference is unknown. Longitudinal investigation of pulmonary function change based on inhalation images appears appropriate for Jacobian-based measure of lung tissue expansion.
Funding Support, Disclosures, and Conflict of Interest: NIH Grant: R01 CA166703
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