QUANTIFICATION OF PULMONARY PATHOLOGY IN CYSTIC FIBROSIS-COMPARISON BETWEEN DIGITAL CHEST TOMOSYNTHESIS AND COMPUTED...

Area of Science:

• Radiology and Imaging
• Pulmonary Medicine
• Medical Technology Assessment

Background:

• Cystic Fibrosis (CF) requires regular lung imaging to monitor disease progression.
• Computed Tomography (CT) is a standard but involves significant radiation dose.
• Digital Tomosynthesis (DTS) is an emerging imaging technique with potential for lower radiation exposure.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate Digital Tomosynthesis (DTS) as a low-dose imaging alternative to Computed Tomography (CT).
• To assess the efficacy of DTS in imaging pulmonary pathology in patients with Cystic Fibrosis (CF).

Main Methods:

• 31 Cystic Fibrosis (CF) patients underwent both DTS and CT during routine follow-up.
• Disease extent was quantified using modality-specific scoring systems.
• Statistical analysis involved Spearman's rank correlation (r) and Krippendorff's alpha (α).

Main Results:

• Median effective dose for DTS (0.14) was substantially lower than for CT (2.68).
• Very strong intermodality correlation was observed for total score and subscores of bronchiectasis and bronchial wall-thickening (r=0.82-0.91).
• High interobserver reliability was noted for DTS in assessing total score, bronchiectasis, and mucus plugging (α=0.83-0.93).

Conclusions:

• Chest tomosynthesis (DTS) demonstrates potential as a low-dose substitute for CT.
• DTS can be used for the quantitative estimation of structural lung disease in Cystic Fibrosis (CF).