Chest, Vol 94, 286-289, Copyright © 1988 by American College of Chest Physicians

ARTICLES

Hyperinflation in asthma and emphysema. Assessment by pulmonary function testing and computed tomography

M Kinsella, NL Muller, C Staples, S Vedal and M Chan-Yeung
Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Canada.

To assess the role of emphysema on the hyperinflation in chronic asthma, we studied 20 subjects with irreversible airflow limitation. Ten of the subjects had asthma and had never smoked; the other ten were cigarette smokers. Pulmonary function testing and chest computed tomography (CT) scans were performed on all subjects. Emphysema was graded using a score based on the percentage of lung involved on CT scan. There was good inter- and intra-observer agreement for the emphysema scores. The median emphysema score was 0 percent in the nonsmoking group and 10 percent in the smoking group. All smokers with a total lung capacity (TLC) of greater than 120 percent predicted had evidence of emphysema on the CT scan. None of the asthmatic subjects with a TLC greater than 120 percent predicted had emphysema identifiable on CT scan. We conclude that chronic asthma with severe hyperinflation does not result in emphysema.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				P. A. de Jong, N. L. Muller, P. D. Pare, and H. O. Coxson Computed tomographic imaging of the airways: relationship to structure and function Eur. Respir. J., July 1, 2005; 26(1): 140 - 152. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J.D. Newell Jr, J.C. Hogg, and G.L. Snider Report of a workshop: quantitative computed tomography scanning in longitudinal studies of emphysema Eur. Respir. J., May 1, 2004; 23(5): 769 - 775. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. F. Gelb, J. Licuanan, C. M. Shinar, and N. Zamel Unsuspected Loss of Lung Elastic Recoil in Chronic Persistent Asthma Chest, March 1, 2002; 121(3): 715 - 721. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S A Little, M W Sproule, M D Cowan, K J Macleod, M Robertson, J G Love, G W Chalmers, C P McSharry, and N C Thomson High resolution computed tomographic assessment of airway wall thickness in chronic asthma: reproducibility and relationship with lung function and severity Thorax, March 1, 2002; 57(3): 247 - 253. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. F. GELB and N. ZAMEL Unsuspected Pseudophysiologic Emphysema in Chronic Persistent Asthma Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med., November 1, 2000; 162(5): 1778 - 1782. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				G. G. KING, N. L. MÜLLER, K. P. WHITTALL, Q.-S. XIANG, and P. D. PARÉ An Analysis Algorithm for Measuring Airway Lumen and Wall Areas from High-Resolution Computed Tomographic Data Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med., February 1, 2000; 161(2): 574 - 580. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				G. G. KING, N. L. MÜLLER, and P. D. PARÉ Evaluation of Airways in Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Using High-Resolution Computed Tomography Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med., March 1, 1999; 159(3): 992 - 1004. [Full Text]

				A. F. GELB, N. ZAMEL, J. C. HOGG, N. L. MULLER, and M. J. SCHEIN Pseudophysiologic Emphysema Resulting from Severe Small-Airways Disease Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med., September 1, 1998; 158(3): 815 - 819. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. N Mclean, M. W Sproule, M. D Cowan, and N. C Thomson High resolution computed tomography in asthma Thorax, April 1, 1998; 53(4): 308 - 314. [Full Text]