Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 19, 2026

Automated Measurement of Pulmonary Emphysema and Small Airway Remodeling in Cigarette Smoke-exposed Mice
Published on: January 16, 2015
Quantitative assessment of regional emphysema distribution in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
T Stavngaard1, S B Shaker, K S Bach
1Department of Clinical Physiology and Nuclear Medicine, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark. stavngaard@dadlnet.dk
Purpose:
To compare objective and subjective assessment of the distribution of emphysema in unselected patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Material And Methods:
167 patients were computed tomography (CT) scanned, and the relative area (RA-910) of emphysema in each CT slice was plotted against table position. The craniocaudal distribution was calculated as the slope of the regression line, and grouped as upper-lung-zone predominance (ULP), lower-lung-zone predominance (LLP), or mild/homogeneous distribution (MHE). CT scans were also classified as ULP, LLP, and MHE based on visual assessment of three high-resolution CT (HRCT) slices, and the leading pattern of emphysema was classified as centrilobular (CLE), paraseptal (PSE), panlobular (PLE), or no emphysema (NE).
Results:
By objective classification, scans were divided into almost equal numbers of ULP, LLP, and MHE, whereas visual evaluation classified more scans as ULP (P<0.001) and very few as LLP (P<0.0001). In patients with CLE, 49% had ULP by objective classification, whereas LLP was the commonest leading pattern in PSE, PLE, and NE.
Conclusion:
We found significant discrepancies between the objective and subjective distributions of emphysema in various morphological patterns, which may be of clinical importance in, for instance, lung-volume-reduction surgery.
Related Concept Videos
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease-IV: Assessement and Diagnostic Studies
Medical History
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease II: Emphysema
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease-I: Introduction
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease IV: Clinical Manifestations
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
Smoking is a primary risk factor for COPD, with over 80% of patients having a history of it. Patients typically experience progressive dyspnea or labored breathing, frequent coughing, and recurrent pulmonary infections. Many eventually succumb to respiratory failure, characterized by...
Assessment of Respiration
Subjective Assessment: Nurses interview the patient to gather information directly during the subjective assessment. It includes questions about the individual's medical history, medications, and symptoms, focusing on past respiratory conditions like asthma or COPD,...
