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Emphysema: definition, imaging, and quantification

W M Thurlbeck¹, N L Müller

¹Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Vancouver Hospital, BC, Canada.

AJR. American Journal of Roentgenology

|November 1, 1994

Summary

Computed tomography (CT) is the best imaging method for diagnosing pulmonary emphysema, despite limitations in detecting mild cases. CT aids in identifying emphysema amenable to surgical treatment.

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Area of Science:

Pulmonary Medicine
Radiology
Thoracic Imaging

Background:

Emphysema is defined by anatomic lung structure changes.
Imaging findings must correlate with these structural alterations.

Purpose of the Study:

To review the anatomic definitions and consequences of emphysema.
To discuss imaging findings, particularly CT, for emphysema diagnosis.

Main Methods:

Review of anatomic definitions and imaging findings of pulmonary emphysema.
Emphasis on computed tomography (CT) for qualitative and quantitative assessment.
Comparison of CT findings with pathologic examination results.

Main Results:

Radiographic diagnosis likelihood increases with emphysema severity.
CT can assess emphysema presence and extent via low attenuation areas.
CT findings correlate with emphysema but may miss mild cases or yield false positives.

Conclusions:

CT is the optimal imaging modality for recognizing emphysema in patients.
CT plays a role in identifying localized emphysema for potential surgical intervention.

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