Structural Airway Characteristics as Risk Factors for Persistent Chronic Bronchi
Structural Airway Characteristics as Risk Factors for Persistent Chronic Bronchitis
Airway disease on CT was quantified by the following: (1) wall area percent (WA%) of segmental airways; (2) Pi10—that is, the square root of the wall area of a hypothetical airway with a 10-mm internal perimeter; (3) total airway count (TAC); and (4) airway fractal dimension (AFD).
The investigators concluded that in a cohort of current and former smokers, higher TAC and AFD appear to confer a reserve against persistent CB. The structural risk factors evaluated may help to identify those individuals at differential risk for CB, and thus target personalized preventive and therapeutic interventions.
