Loading...
Thumbnail Image
Publication

Vascular remodeling of the small pulmonary arteries and measures of vascular pruning on computed tomography

Synn, Andrew J
Margerie-Mellon, Constance De
Jeong, Sun Young
Rahaghi, Farbod N
Jhun, Iny
Washko, George R
Estépar, Raúl San José
Bankier, Alexander A
Mittleman, Murray A
VanderLaan, Paul A
... show 1 more
Embargo Expiration Date
Abstract

Pulmonary hypertension is characterized histologically by intimal and medial thickening in the small pulmonary arteries, eventually resulting in vascular "pruning." Computed tomography (CT)-based quantification of pruning is associated with clinical measures of pulmonary hypertension, but it is not established whether CT-based pruning correlates with histologic arterial remodeling. Our sample consisted of 138 patients who underwent resection for early-stage lung adenocarcinoma. From histologic sections, we identified small pulmonary arteries and measured the relative area comprising the intima and media (VWA%), with higher VWA% representing greater histologic remodeling. From pre-operative CTs, we used image analysis algorithms to calculate the small vessel volume fraction (BV5/TBV) as a CT-based indicator of pruning (lower BV5/TBV represents greater pruning). We investigated relationships of CT pruning and histologic remodeling using Pearson correlation, simple linear regression, and multivariable regression with adjustment for age, sex, height, weight, smoking status, and total pack-years. We also tested for effect modification by sex and smoking status. In primary models, more severe CT pruning was associated with greater histologic remodeling. The Pearson correlation coefficient between BV5/TBV and VWA% was -0.41, and in linear regression models, VWA% was 3.13% higher (95% CI: 1.95-4.31%, p < 0.0001) per standard deviation lower BV5/TBV. This association persisted after multivariable adjustment. We found no evidence that these relationships differed by sex or smoking status. Among individuals who underwent resection for lung adenocarcinoma, more severe CT-based vascular pruning was associated with greater histologic arterial remodeling. These findings suggest CT imaging may be a non-invasive indicator of pulmonary vascular pathology.

Source

Synn AJ, Margerie-Mellon C, Jeong SY, Rahaghi FN, Jhun I, Washko GR, Estépar RSJ, Bankier AA, Mittleman MA, VanderLaan PA, Rice MB. Vascular remodeling of the small pulmonary arteries and measures of vascular pruning on computed tomography. Pulm Circ. 2021 Nov 29;11(4):20458940211061284. doi: 10.1177/20458940211061284. PMID: 34881020; PMCID: PMC8647266.

Year of Medical School at Time of Visit
Sponsors
Dates of Travel
DOI
10.1177/20458940211061284
PubMed ID
34881020
Other Identifiers
Notes
Funding and Acknowledgements
Corresponding Author
Related Resources
Related Resources
Repository Citation
Rights
Creative Commons Non Commercial CC BY-NC: This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which per- mits non-commercial use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access pages (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage)Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International