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Chronic pulmonary disorders in sickle cell disease: findings at thin-section CT
S L Aquino1, G Gamsu, J V Fahy
1Department of Radiology, University of California San Francisco 94143-0628.
Purpose:
To characterize the non-acute abnormalities seen at computed tomography (CT) in patients with sickle cell (SC) disease and a prior history of acute chest syndrome (ACS)-pneumonia.
Materials And Methods:
Twenty-nine patients with SC disease who had experienced one to more than 10 (median, six) previous episodes of ACS-pneumonia were prospectively studied with thin-section CT of the thorax. Scans were graded for interstitial disease and assigned a disease index ranging from 0 to 3. Twenty-four patients underwent pulmonary function tests (PFTs) and measurement of their blood gasses.
Results:
Twelve of the 29 patients (41%) had significant interstitial disease that was multifocal. A correlation was found between the disease index and number of episodes of ACS-pneumonia (P = .02) but not between the disease index and PFT results.
Conclusion:
Thin-section CT demonstrates significant multifocal interstitial lung abnormalities in 41% of selected patients with SC disease. The pattern is most consistent with scarring from episodes of infarction or infection.