[High-resolution computed tomography of the lung in young patients with cystic fibrosis]

In a prospective study we proved the value of high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) and the CT scoring system developed by Stiglbauer et al. on 47 young patients suffering from cystic fibrosis (CF) (median age: 10.1 years). The most frequent pulmonary finding was bronchial wall thickening (BWT) in 43 patients (94.6%), followed by bronchiectasis (BE) in 36 patients (79.2%). A less frequent finding was ill-defined patchy consolidation (39.6%). We found an almost even distribution of BWT and BE in the upper and lower lobes of the lung. These two findings were scored according to their severity and extent. The maximum possible score for BWT and BE was 72 in a single patient. For both the overall score was 19.9 +/- 11.1. A statistically significant correlation of the CT scoring system with the lung function tests FEV1/FVC (P = 0.03) and MEF50 (P = 0.02) was found. The results of HRCT and the CT scoring system were shown to be valuable methods in the assessment of pulmonary changes, in young patients suffering from CF.