PLoS ONE (Jan 2020)

A quantitative CT parameter for the assessment of pulmonary oedema in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome.

  • Patrick Leiser,
  • Thomas Kirschning,
  • Christel Weiß,
  • Michael Hagmann,
  • Jochen Schoettler,
  • Franz-Simon Centner,
  • Holger Haubenreisser,
  • Philipp Riffel,
  • Sonja Janssen,
  • Claudia Henzler,
  • Thomas Henzler,
  • Stefan Schoenberg,
  • Daniel Overhoff

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0241590
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 15, no. 11
p. e0241590

Abstract

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ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to establish quantitative CT (qCT) parameters for pathophysiological understanding and clinical use in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). The most promising parameter is introduced.Materials and methods28 intubated patients with ARDS obtained a conventional CT scan in end-expiratory breathhold within the first 48 hours after admission to intensive care unit (ICU). Following manual segmentation, 137 volume- and lung weight-associated qCT parameters were correlated with 71 clinical parameters such as blood gases, applied ventilation pressures, pulse contour cardiac output measurements and established status and prognosis scores (SOFA, SAPS II).ResultsOf all examined qCT parameters, excess lung weight (ELW), i.e. the difference between a patient's current lung weight and the virtual lung weight of a healthy person at the same height, displayed the most significant results. ELW correlated significantly with the amount of inflated lung tissue [%] (pConclusionsELW could serve as a non-invasive method to quantify the amount of pulmonary oedema. It might serve as an early radiological marker of severity in patients with ARDS.