Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Thorax logoLink to Thorax
. 1986 Aug;41(8):620–628. doi: 10.1136/thx.41.8.620

Estimation of regional gas and tissue volumes of the lung in supine man using computed tomography.

D M Denison, M D Morgan, A B Millar
PMCID: PMC460408  PMID: 3787544

Abstract

This study was intended to discover how well computed tomography could recover the volume and weight of lung like foams in a body like shell, and then how well it could recover the volume and weight of the lungs in supine man. Model thoraces were made with various loaves of bread submerged in water. Computed tomography scans recovered the volume of the model lungs (true volume range 250-12,500 ml) within +0.2 (SD 68) ml and their weights (true range 72-3125 g) within +30 (78) g. Scans also recovered successive injections of 50 ml of water, within +/- 5 ml. Scans in 12 healthy supine men recovered their vital capacities, total lung capacities (TLC), and predicted tissue volumes with comparable accuracy. At total lung capacity the mean tissue volume of single lungs was 431 (64) ml and at residual volume (RV) it was 427 (63) ml. Tissue volume was then used to match inspiratory and expiratory slices and calculate regional ventilation. Throughout the mid 90% of lung the RV/TLC ratio was fairly constant--mean 21% (5%). New methods of presenting such regional data graphically and automatically are also described.

Full text

PDF
620

Images in this article

621Image
on p.621

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Allen S. M., Hunt B., Green M. Fall in vital capacity with posture. Br J Dis Chest. 1985 Jul;79(3):267–271. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Armstrong J. D., Gluck E. H., Crapo R. O., Jones H. A., Hughes J. M. Lung tissue volume estimated by simultaneous radiographic and helium dilution methods. Thorax. 1982 Sep;37(9):676–679. doi: 10.1136/thx.37.9.676. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Brenner D. E., Whitley N. O., Houk T. L., Aisner J., Wiernik P., Whitley J. Volume determinations in computed tomography. JAMA. 1982 Mar 5;247(9):1299–1302. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Bush A., Denison D. M. Use of different magnification factors to calculate radiological lung volumes. Thorax. 1986 Feb;41(2):158–159. doi: 10.1136/thx.41.2.158. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Hedlund L. W., Vock P., Effmann E. L. Computed tomography of the lung. Densitometric studies. Radiol Clin North Am. 1983 Dec;21(4):775–788. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Huang H. K., Wu S. C. The evaluation of mass densities of human body in vivo from CT scans. Comput Biol Med. 1976 Oct;6(4):337–343. doi: 10.1016/0010-4825(76)90070-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Mull R. T. Mass estimates by computed tomography: physical density from CT numbers. AJR Am J Roentgenol. 1984 Nov;143(5):1101–1104. doi: 10.2214/ajr.143.5.1101. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Pierce R. J., Brown D. J., Holmes M., Cumming G., Denison D. M. Estimation of lung volumes from chest radiographs using shape information. Thorax. 1979 Dec;34(6):726–734. doi: 10.1136/thx.34.6.726. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Reiser U. J. Study of bolus geometry after intravenous contrast medium injection: dynamic and quantitative measurements (Chronogram) using an X-ray CT device. J Comput Assist Tomogr. 1984 Apr;8(2):251–262. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Rhodes C. G., Wollmer P., Fazio F., Jones T. Quantitative measurement of regional extravascular lung density using positron emission and transmission tomography. J Comput Assist Tomogr. 1981 Dec;5(6):783–791. doi: 10.1097/00004728-198112000-00001. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Robinson P. J., Kreel L. Pulmonary tissue attenuation with computed tomography: comparison of inspiration and expiration scans. J Comput Assist Tomogr. 1979 Dec;3(6):740–748. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Rodenstein D. O., Sopwith T., Denison D. M., Stanescu D. C. Reevaluation of the radiographic method for measurement of total lung capacity. Bull Eur Physiopathol Respir. 1985 Nov-Dec;21(6):521–525. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Rosenblum L. J., Mauceri R. A., Wellenstein D. E., Thomas F. D., Bassano D. A., Raasch B. N., Chamberlain C. C., Heitzman E. R. Density patterns in the normal lung as determined by computed tomography. Radiology. 1980 Nov;137(2):409–416. doi: 10.1148/radiology.137.2.7433674. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. SVANBERG L. Influence of posture on the lung volumes, ventilation and circulation in normals; a spirometric-bronchospirometric investigation. Scand J Clin Lab Invest. 1957;9 (Suppl 25):1–195. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Slutsky R. A., Peck W. W., Higgins C. B., Mancini G. B. Pulmonary density distribution in experimental and clinical cardiogenic pulmonary edema evaluated by computed transmission tomography. Am Heart J. 1984 Aug;108(2):401–407. doi: 10.1016/0002-8703(84)90632-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Thorax are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES