[CT imaging of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: What aspects and what role?].

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), commonly defined as irreversible airflow limitation, is associated with specific morphological changes involving all three parts of the lung, namely the bronchi, parenchyma and pulmonary vessels. In vivo imaging, with its ability to describe the different types of lung alterations and their regional distribution, helps to elucidate the relationship between lung structure and respiratory function. High-resolution computed tomography (CT) of the lung is the imaging modality best suited to assessing the pathological changes associated with airflow obstruction occurring in COPD.

Artificial intelligence-driven volumetric CT outcome score in cystic fibrosis: longitudinal and multicenter validation with/without modulators treatment.

Objectives: Holistic segmentation of CT structural alterations with 3D deep learning has recently been described in cystic fibrosis (CF), allowing the measurement of normalized volumes of airway abnormalities (NOVAA-CT) as an automated quantitative outcome. Clinical validations are needed, including longitudinal and multicenter evaluations.

Materials And Methods: The validation study was retrospective between 2010 and 2023.

Advanced Myocardial MRI Tissue Characterization Combining Contrast Agent-Free T1-Rho Mapping With Fully Automated Analysis.

Background: Myocardial T1-rho (T1ρ) mapping is a promising method for identifying and quantifying myocardial injuries without contrast agents, but its clinical use is hindered by the lack of dedicated analysis tools.

Purpose: To explore the feasibility of clinically integrated artificial intelligence-driven analysis for efficient and automated myocardial T1ρ mapping.

Study Type: Retrospective.

Radiological Diagnosis of Pulmonary Aspergillosis.

Imaging plays an important role in the various forms of -related pulmonary disease. Depending on the immune status of the patient, three forms are described with distinct imaging characteristics: invasive aspergillosis affecting severely immunocompromised patients, chronic pulmonary aspergillosis affecting less severely immunocompromised patients but suffering from a pre-existing structural lung disease, and allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis related to respiratory exposure to species in patients with asthma and cystic fibrosis. Computed tomography (CT) has been demonstrated more sensitive and specific than chest radiographs and its use has largely contributed to the diagnosis, follow-up, and evaluation of treatment in each condition.

Longitudinal Evaluation of Bronchial Changes in Cystic Fibrosis Patients Undergoing Elexacaftor/Tezacaftor/Ivacaftor Therapy Using Lung MRI With Ultrashort Echo-Times.

Background: Lung magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with ultrashort echo-times (UTE-MRI) allows high-resolution and radiation-free imaging of the lung structure in cystic fibrosis (CF). In addition, the combination of elexacaftor/tezacaftor/ivacaftor (ETI) has improved CF clinical outcomes such as need for hospitalization. However, the effect on structural disease still needs longitudinal evaluation at high resolution.

Generating High-Resolution Synthetic CT from Lung MRI with Ultrashort Echo Times: Initial Evaluation in Cystic Fibrosis.

Background Lung MRI with ultrashort echo times (UTEs) enables high-resolution and radiation-free morphologic imaging; however, its image quality is still lower than that of CT. Purpose To assess the image quality and clinical applicability of synthetic CT images generated from UTE MRI by a generative adversarial network (GAN). Materials and Methods This retrospective study included patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) who underwent both UTE MRI and CT on the same day at one of six institutions between January 2018 and December 2022.

Non-Contrast-Enhanced Functional Lung MRI to Evaluate Treatment Response of Allergic Bronchopulmonary Aspergillosis in Patients With Cystic Fibrosis: A Pilot Study.

Background: Allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA) in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients is associated with severe lung damage and requires specific therapeutic management. Repeated imaging is recommended to both diagnose and follow-up response to treatment of ABPA in CF. However, high risk of cumulative radiation exposure requires evaluation of free-radiation techniques in the follow-up of CF patients with ABPA.

Ventilation and perfusion MRI at a 0.35 T MR-Linac: feasibility and reproducibility study.

Background: Hybrid devices that combine radiation therapy and MR-imaging have been introduced in the clinical routine for the treatment of lung cancer. This opened up not only possibilities in terms of accurate tumor tracking, dose delivery and adapted treatment planning, but also functional lung imaging. The aim of this study was to show the feasibility of Non-uniform Fourier Decomposition (NuFD) MRI at a 0.

Deep Learning for the Automatic Quantification of Pleural Plaques in Asbestos-Exposed Subjects.

Objective: This study aimed to develop and validate an automated artificial intelligence (AI)-driven quantification of pleural plaques in a population of retired workers previously occupationally exposed to asbestos.

Methods: CT scans of former workers previously occupationally exposed to asbestos who participated in the multicenter APEXS (Asbestos PostExposure Survey) study were collected retrospectively between 2010 and 2017 during the second and the third rounds of the survey. A hundred and forty-one participants with pleural plaques identified by expert radiologists at the 2nd and the 3rd CT screenings were included.

Interstitial Lung Abnormalities Detected by CT in Asbestos-Exposed Subjects Are More Likely Associated to Age.

Objective: the aim of this study was to evaluate the association between interstitial lung abnormalities, asbestos exposure and age in a population of retired workers previously occupationally exposed to asbestos.

Methods: previously occupationally exposed former workers to asbestos eligible for a survey conducted between 2003 and 2005 in four regions of France, underwent chest CT examinations and pulmonary function testing. Industrial hygienists evaluated asbestos exposure and calculated for each subject a cumulative exposure index (CEI) to asbestos.

Artificial intelligence in computed tomography for quantifying lung changes in the era of CFTR modulators.

Background: Chest computed tomography (CT) remains the imaging standard for demonstrating cystic fibrosis (CF) airway structural disease . However, visual scoring systems as an outcome measure are time consuming, require training and lack high reproducibility. Our objective was to validate a fully automated artificial intelligence (AI)-driven scoring system of CF lung disease severity.

Structural and functional changes in COPD: What we have learned from imaging.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the third leading cause of mortality worldwide. It is a heterogeneous disease involving different components of the lung to varying extents. Developments in medical imaging and image analysis techniques provide new insights in the assessment of the structural and functional changes of the disease.

The Clinical Use of Lung MRI in Cystic Fibrosis: What, Now, How?

To assess airway and lung parenchymal damage noninvasively in cystic fibrosis (CF), chest MRI has been historically out of the scope of routine clinical imaging because of technical difficulties such as low proton density and respiratory and cardiac motion. However, technological breakthroughs have emerged that dramatically improve lung MRI quality (including signal-to-noise ratio, resolution, speed, and contrast). At the same time, novel treatments have changed the landscape of CF clinical care.

Quantification of MRI T2 Interstitial Lung Disease Signal-Intensity Volume in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis: A Pilot Study.

Background: Imaging has played a pivotal role in the diagnosis of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Recent reports suggest that T -weighted MRI could be sensitive to monitor signal-intensity modifications of the lung parenchyma, which may relate to the disease activity in IPF. However, there is a lack of automated tools to reproducibly quantify the extent of the disease, especially using MRI.

Volumetric quantification of lung MR signal intensities using ultrashort TE as an automated score in cystic fibrosis.

Objectives: The study aimed to validate automated quantification of high and low signal intensity volumes using ultrashort echo-time MRI, with CT and pulmonary function test (PFT) as references, to assess the severity of structural alterations in cystic fibrosis (CF).

Methods: This prospective study was performed in a single center between May 2015 and September 2017. Participants with CF completed clinical examination, CT, MRI, and PFT the same day during routine clinical follow-up (M0), and then 1 year after (M12) except for CT.

Quantification of MRI T2-weighted High Signal Volume in Cystic Fibrosis: A Pilot Study.

Background In patients with cystic fibrosis (CF), pulmonary structures with high MRI T2 signal intensity relate to inflammatory changes in the lung and bronchi. These areas of pathologic abnormalities can serve as imaging biomarkers. The feasibility of automated quantification is unknown.