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Author Spotlight: Advances in Quantifying Microvascular Density in Aging Murine Lungs
Published on: January 3, 2025
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CT quantification of pulmonary vessels in lung aging
1Department of Radiology, General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan 750004, China; The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Medical University, Xi'an 710077, China.
Clinical Radiology
|February 16, 2024
Summary
Aging significantly reduces pulmonary vascular volume, including total blood vessel volume (TBV) and small blood vessel volume (BV5), in both men and women. These declines show a weak positive correlation with pulmonary function.
Area of Science:
- Pulmonary medicine
- Radiology
- Gerontology
Background:
- Pulmonary vascular health is crucial for respiratory function.
- Aging is associated with physiological changes in the cardiopulmonary system.
- Computed tomography (CT) offers quantitative insights into pulmonary vasculature.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the impact of aging on pulmonary vascular volume using CT quantification.
- To analyze the relationship between quantitative pulmonary vascular volume and pulmonary function across different age groups.
Main Methods:
- Recruited 330 healthy adults across various age strata (20-89 years).
- Utilized AVIEW software for quantitative measurement of total blood vessel volume (TBV) and small blood vessel volume (<5 mm²; BV5).
- Standardized vascular volume by body surface area (BSA) for analysis (TBV/BSA, BV5/BSA).
Main Results:
- Pulmonary vascular volume parameters (TBV/BSA, BV5/BSA) significantly decreased with age in both whole and regional lungs (p<0.05).
- Men exhibited higher TBV/BSA and BV5/BSA than women.
- The age-related decline in pulmonary vascular volume was consistent between sexes.
Conclusions:
- Pulmonary vascular volume, including TBV/BSA and BV5/BSA, diminishes with advancing age.
- These age-related reductions in pulmonary vascular volume demonstrate a weak positive correlation with pulmonary function.
