Abstract
Background: An important percentage of CF patients associates structural lung damages associated with impaired lung function. Lung ultrasound (LUS) can detect structural features like emphysema, consolidation, interstitial inflammation or bronchiectasis while the most accurate parameter of the lung function in cystic fibrosis is the lung clearance index(LCI), therefore it would be important to evaluate the relation between the two parameters.
Aim: To evaluate the relation between LUS score and lung function expressed by LCI among children with CF.
Methods: Forty-two children with CF (mean age 13.93± 5.1years) who underwent the annual lung function assessment of LCI, were also evaluated by LUS. Specific characteristics on ultrasound were used for LUS score: presence of B-lines for interstitial damage cylindrical bronchiectasis and air trapping, lake sign for detection of varicose bronchiectasis or cystic bronchiectasis, parenchymal structure for consolidation. Of these, 15 patients (53.3% girls) performed a reproductible LCI. The relation between LCI as a constant and the LUS score was evaluated with Pearson correlation test.
Results: At LUS, air trapping was the most frequent feature detected in 79.6% of patients and the median value of LCI was 16.53+-7.6. A median LUS score of 4.67+-3, consistent for moderate morphological lung impairment was found. LCI showed a strong positive correlation with the LUS score, with coefficient of 0.82, p< 0.0001 ( 0.897-3.014 95% CI).
Conclusion: In our study an important correlation, statistically significant, between lung damage evaluated by a LUS score and the lung clearance index was demonstrated. LUS score might be used for a primary evaluation of the CF lung damages.
Footnotes
Cite this article as: European Respiratory Journal 2018 52: Suppl. 62, OA4988.
This is an ERS International Congress abstract. No full-text version is available. Further material to accompany this abstract may be available at www.ers-education.org (ERS member access only).
- Copyright ©the authors 2018