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Automated in vivo quantification of emphysema
D C Archer1, C L Coblentz, R A deKemp
1Department of Radiology, McMaster University Medical Center, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
Radiology
|September 1, 1993
Summary
A new computer program accurately quantifies lung volume and emphysema percentage from CT scans in under a minute. This automated tool offers a faster, reliable method for emphysema assessment compared to manual analysis.
Area of Science:
- Radiology
- Pulmonary Medicine
- Medical Imaging Analysis
Background:
- Emphysema quantification from computed tomographic (CT) scans is crucial for diagnosis and management.
- Manual analysis of CT scans for emphysema is time-consuming and labor-intensive.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and evaluate a computer program for automatic determination of lung volume and percentage of emphysema from CT chest sections.
- To compare the accuracy and efficiency of the automated program with manual correction and existing methods.
Main Methods:
- A computer program was developed to automatically analyze lung volumes and emphysema percentages from CT scans.
- Scans from 89 patients were reviewed, with computer errors manually corrected.
- Lung volumes and emphysema percentages were also calculated using a "voxel highlighting" program in a subset of patients.
Main Results:
- Automated analysis of entire lungs was completed in 1 minute, significantly faster than manual analysis (over 1 hour).
- A high correlation (r = .99) was observed between manual and computer-derived results.
- The difference between uncorrected and corrected emphysema values was statistically significant but minimal (0.1% correction).
Conclusions:
- The developed computer program provides quick, accurate, and reproducible quantification of emphysema.
- Automated CT analysis offers a significant efficiency improvement for emphysema assessment.
- The program demonstrates high reliability for determining lung volume and emphysema percentage.