Quantitative volumetric and density CT-characteristics of lungs in children: what is to be the norm (preliminary results of a pilot study)

Abstract

SummaryFunctional and radiation methods of respiratory or-gans’ examination make it possible to obtain quantitative summarised characteristics of the lung tissue. In some cases, it may be advisable to differentially study the right and left lungs in children, especially at an early age when it is impossible to correctly perform functional examina-tion methods. The objective of the study: to evaluate the possibility of non-invasive differentiated analysis of the volumes of the right and left lungs in children with no chest pathologies. Materials and methods. A retro-spective analysis of volumetric CT of the chest organs was carried out in 100 children aged 5 months to 18 years (divided into standard age groups) with no established diseases of the chest organs or identified radiological pa-thology. Post-processing manipulation of CT scans was performed with the calculation of the absolute values of the volume of the right and left lungs, total lung volume and tissue density for each lung, with further structural distribution (as a percentage of the total volume). Exclu-sion criteria included the presence of respiratory diseas-es, or any changes in the lung structure according to the results of CT, incl. breath artifacts. Results. The CT-volu-metry method was used to obtain the average values of the volumes of the right, left and total volume of both lungs. The absolute values of the volume of the right lung dominated over the left. In the process of growth, these differences change unidirectionally, with a decrease in the asymmetry coefficient from 1.23 to 1.1. The total co-efficient of volume gain for the left lung, in comparison with the right one, turns out to be larger both in limiting and average values. Conclusion. The conducted study of normal volume characteristics of the lung parenchyma using CT volumetry is one of the few demonstrations of lung volume in children of various age groups. The data obtained are the basic quantitative indicators of normal lung parenchyma in children, and can be used in compar-ison with studies of changes in lung volumes in various pathological conditions, including deformities of the spi-nal-rib complex