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Evaluation of the Normal Airway Morphology Using Optical Coherence Tomography
- Source :
- Chest. 156(5)
- Publication Year :
- 2019
-
Abstract
- The anatomic location of small airways, the distribution of airway cartilage, and their correlation with ageing have not been well elucidated. The objective of this article was to explore the morphologic characteristics of small airways in vivo, and how airway structural changes correlate with age using endobronchial optical coherence tomography (EB-OCT).We recruited 112 subjects with peripheral pulmonary nodules. Participants underwent CT scan, spirometry, and EB-OCT measurements. We measured the airway internal diameter, the inner area (Ai), the airway wall area percentage (Aw%), and the thickness of airway cartilage. EB-OCT airway structural characteristics at different age intervals were analyzed, and the association between airway morphology and age was evaluated.Of the small airways, 47.3% originated from the seventh generation of bronchi. Cartilage was uniformly present in the third to sixth generation of bronchi, despite a decreasing proportion of cartilage from the seventh to ninth generation of bronchi (92.4%, 54.5%, and 26.8%, respectively). The thickness of airway cartilage progressively decreased with older age. In subjects 40 to 54 years of age, Ai from the third to sixth generation correlated positively with age (r = 0.577, P .001). Both Ai from the third to sixth generation and Ai from the seventh to ninth generation correlated negatively with age in subjects 55 to 69 years of age (r = -0.374, P = .021 and r = -0.410, P = .011). Aw% from the third to sixth generation and Aw% from the seventh to ninth generation did not correlate significantly with age.Small airways are mainly located at the seventh generation, where cartilaginous structures are present despite reduced distribution in more distal airways, and the thickness decreased in older age. Reduction in luminal area of medium-to-small airways might be the morphologic changes associated with ageing (ie,55 years of age).
- Subjects :
- Pulmonary and Respiratory Medicine
Spirometry
Adult
Male
Aging
Bronchi
Critical Care and Intensive Care Medicine
03 medical and health sciences
Young Adult
0302 clinical medicine
Optical coherence tomography
Reference Values
medicine
Humans
030212 general & internal medicine
Anatomic Location
Aged
Retrospective Studies
medicine.diagnostic_test
business.industry
Cartilage
Reproducibility of Results
Anatomy
respiratory system
Middle Aged
respiratory tract diseases
Peripheral
medicine.anatomical_structure
030228 respiratory system
Ageing
Airway wall
Airway Remodeling
Female
Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine
Airway
business
Tomography, Optical Coherence
Follow-Up Studies
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 19313543
- Volume :
- 156
- Issue :
- 5
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Chest
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....e5a0f20394babfdd6841b3e1cf5c83d4