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Correlation of computed tomography findings and lung function in children and adolescents with cystic fibrosis

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Abstract

Background

The timely and appropriate monitoring of pulmonary status is of utmost importance for patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). Computed tomography (CT) has been used in clinical and research settings for tracking lung involvement in CF patients. However, as CT delivers a considerable amount of radiation, its sequential use in CF patients remains a concern. The application of CT, therefore, should take into account its potential risks. This review aims to understand whether and to what extent the CT findings correlate with the findings from other monitoring tools in CF lung disease.

Data sources

PubMed was searched for articles about the correlation of chest CT findings with spirometric indices and with lung clearance index in children and adolescents with CF. The most relevant articles were reviewed and are presented herein.

Results

Most studies have shown that forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1) and other spirometric indices correlate moderately with CT structural lung damage. However, at the individual level, there were patients with FEV1 within the normal range and abnormal CT and vice versa. Furthermore, longitudinal studies have indicated that the deterioration of structural lung damage does not occur in parallel with the progression of lung function. Lung clearance index is a better predictor of CT findings.

Conclusions

In general, the existing studies do not support the use of lung function tests as surrogates of chest CT.

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Funding

No financial or non-financial benefits have been received or will be received from any party related directly or indirectly to the subject of this article.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece

    Andrew Fretzayas & Konstantinos Douros

  2. Department of Pediatrics, Athens Medical Center, 5-7 Distomou str, 151 25, Marousi, Greece

    Andrew Fretzayas

  3. Department of Cystic Fibrosis, “Agia Sofia”, Children’s Hospital, Athens, Greece

    Ioanna Loukou & Maria Moustaki

Authors
  1. Andrew Fretzayas
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  2. Ioanna Loukou
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  3. Maria Moustaki
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  4. Konstantinos Douros
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Contributions

Dr. Loukou and Dr. Moustaki wrote the initial draft. Prof Fretzayas and Assoc. Prof Douros critically revised the manuscript. All authors approved the final version of the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Andrew Fretzayas.

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Fretzayas, A., Loukou, I., Moustaki, M. et al. Correlation of computed tomography findings and lung function in children and adolescents with cystic fibrosis. World J Pediatr 17, 221–226 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12519-020-00388-8

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