Author/Editor		el-Khatib, EE; Freeman, CR; Rybka, WB; Lehnert, S; Podgoršak, EB
Title		The use of CT densitometry to predict lung toxicity in bone marrow transplant patients
Type		članek
Source		Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys
Vol. and No.		Letnik 16, št. 1
Publication year		1989
Volume		str. 85-94
Language		eng
Abstract		Total body irradiation (TBI) is considered an integral part of the preparation of patients with hematological malignancies for marrow transplantation. One of the major causes of death following bone marrow transplantation is interstitial pneumonia. Its pathogenesis is complex but radiation may play a major role in its development. Computed tomography (CT) has been used in animal and human studies as a sensitive non-invasive method for detecting changes in the lung following radiotherapy. In the present study CT scans are studied before and up to 1 year after TBI. Average lung densities measured before TBI showed large variations among the individual patients. On follow-up scans, lung density decreases were measured for patients who did not develop lung complications. Significant lung density increases were measured in patients who subsequently had lung complications. These lung density increases were observed prior to the onset of respiratory complications and could be correlated with the clinical course of the patients, suggesting the possibility for the usage of CT lung densitometry to predict lung complications before the onset of clinical symptoms.
Descriptors		BONE MARROW BONE MARROW TRANSPLANTATION LUNG TOMOGRAPHY, X-RAY COMPUTED WHOLE-BODY IRRADIATION ADOLESCENCE ADULT ANEMIA, APLASTIC CHILD CHILD, PRESCHOOL LEUKEMIA LUNG LYMPHOMA MIDDLE AGE MYELOFIBROSIS PULMONARY FIBROSIS