Higher small pulmonary artery and vein volume on computed tomography is associated with mortality in current and former smokersResearch in context

Summary: Background: In chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), vascular alterations have been shown to contribute to hypoxia and pulmonary hypertension, but the independent contribution of small vessel abnormalities to mortality remains unclear. Methods: We quantified artery and vein dimensions on computed tomography (CT) down to 0.2 mm. Small vessel volumes (