Abstract
PURPOSE: We evaluated the usefulness of quantitative spiral CT to predict postoperative lung function in
patients undergoing pulmonary resection.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fourteen patients in whom pneumonectomy or segmentectomy were performed
underwent preoperative chest spiral CT and pulmonary function test(PFT). Six patients underwent postoperative
follow-up PFT. Ten patients underwent preoperative radioisotope(RI) lung perfusion scan. Preoperative CT data
were postprocessed with contiguous pixel method ranged from -9107HU to -500HU to quantify total functional
lung volume(TFLV) and regional volume to be resected(RFLV). Postoperative lung function was predicted
by following formula;Predicted postoperative PFT value=preoperative PFT x 1-RFLV/TFLV). CT predicted
value was compared with postoperative measured PFT value and those value of RI perfusion scan.
RESULTS: CT predicted values were very close to postoperative measured value and RI predicted value, and
were correlated well with postoperative measured values (FVC: r=0.988, P<0.001 ;FEV1: r=0.994, P<0.001) and
RI predicted values (FVC :r=0.976, P<0.001 ;FEVl: r=0.974, p<0.001).
CONCLUSION: Quantitative spiral CT was useful to predict postoperative lung function and could be an effective
alternative to RI perfusion scan.