Special computer-aided computed tomography (CT) volume measurement and comparison method for pulmonary tuberculosis...

Area of Science:

• Radiology
• Pulmonology
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) presents complex computed tomography (CT) findings that are difficult to quantify.
• Objective measurement of lung injury in PTB is crucial for accurate assessment and comparison.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a novel computer-aided method for objective quantitative evaluation of lung injury in PTB using thoracic CT.
• To compare lung injury levels across different PTB patient groups, including those with diabetes mellitus and fatal outcomes.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective study involving 360 adult PTB patients and controls, categorized into Normal, PTB, PTB with Diabetes Mellitus (DM), and Death groups.
• Development of a computer-aided CT volume measurement and comparison method for PTB (CACTV-PTB) to calculate lung volume (LV) and thoracic volume (TV).
• Calculation of Lung-to-Thoracic Ratio (RLT) and Standardized RLT (SRLT) for inter-group and longitudinal analyses.

Main Results:

• Significant differences in RLT values were observed among the four groups: Normal (0.40±0.05), PTB (0.37±0.08), PTB+DM (0.34±0.06), and Death (0.23±0.04).
• The CACTV-PTB method demonstrated positive correlation between LV and TV in the Normal group (R²=0.796).
• Preliminary longitudinal analysis showed comparable SRLT curves across patients, enabling direct comparison of dynamic changes.

Conclusions:

• The CACTV-PTB method provides an objective and quantitative approach to assess lung injury severity and track dynamic changes in PTB patients.
• Lung injury appears more severe in PTB patients with diabetes mellitus compared to those with PTB alone.
• This novel method facilitates more accurate comparisons of disease progression and treatment efficacy in PTB research.