Aurélie Occelli1, Sébastien Soize2, Caroline Ranc3, Lisa Giovannini-Chami4, Carole Bailly5, Béatrice Leloutre3, Corinne Boyer3, Marie Baque-Juston3. 1. Pediatric Radiology Department, Hôpitaux pédiatriques de Nice CHU-Lenval, 57 avenue de la Californie, 06200 Nice, France. Electronic address: occelliaurelie@yahoo.fr. 2. Radiology Department, Hôpital Maison Blanche, 45 rue Cognacq Jay, 51092 Reims Cedex, France; Université Reims Champagne-Ardenne, Reims, France. 3. Pediatric Radiology Department, Hôpitaux pédiatriques de Nice CHU-Lenval, 57 avenue de la Californie, 06200 Nice, France. 4. Pediatric Pulmonology and Allergy Department, Hôpitaux pédiatriques de Nice CHU-Lenval, 57 avenue de la Californie, 06200 Nice, France; Université de Nice Sophia-Antipolis, Nice, France. 5. Pediatric Pulmonology and Allergy Department, Hôpitaux pédiatriques de Nice CHU-Lenval, 57 avenue de la Californie, 06200 Nice, France.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Allergic broncho-pulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA) is a severe and under-diagnosed complication of cystic fibrosis (CF). The aim of the study was to determine whether the mucus content of bronchoceles in cystic fibrosis complicated with ABPA reveals a higher density than the mucus content of non-ABPA cystic fibrosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We studied retrospectively 43 computed tomography scans (CT scans) of a pediatric population of cystic fibrosis patients. We measured the mucus attenuation in Hounsfield Units (HU) of all bronchoceles >5mm in diameter. RESULTS: We found bronchoceles >5mm in 13/43 patients. 5/13 patients had a positive diagnosis of ABPA. The median HU value of bronchoceles was higher in patients with than without ABPA [98 HU (26-135) vs 28 HU (10-36); P=0,02]. Moreover, all patients with a bronchocele density >36HU were ABPA positive. CONCLUSIONS: CF complicated with ABPA shows higher attenuation bronchoceles on CT scans of the chest. Systematic density measurements of bronchoceles could help to raise the difficult diagnosis of ABPA in patients suffering from cystic fibrosis. Larger series could confirm a threshold in HU which could become a new imaging criterion for the diagnosis of ABPA.
OBJECTIVE:Allergic broncho-pulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA) is a severe and under-diagnosed complication of cystic fibrosis (CF). The aim of the study was to determine whether the mucus content of bronchoceles in cystic fibrosis complicated with ABPA reveals a higher density than the mucus content of non-ABPA cystic fibrosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We studied retrospectively 43 computed tomography scans (CT scans) of a pediatric population of cystic fibrosispatients. We measured the mucus attenuation in Hounsfield Units (HU) of all bronchoceles >5mm in diameter. RESULTS: We found bronchoceles >5mm in 13/43 patients. 5/13 patients had a positive diagnosis of ABPA. The median HU value of bronchoceles was higher in patients with than without ABPA [98 HU (26-135) vs 28 HU (10-36); P=0,02]. Moreover, all patients with a bronchocele density >36HU were ABPA positive. CONCLUSIONS: CF complicated with ABPA shows higher attenuation bronchoceles on CT scans of the chest. Systematic density measurements of bronchoceles could help to raise the difficult diagnosis of ABPA in patients suffering from cystic fibrosis. Larger series could confirm a threshold in HU which could become a new imaging criterion for the diagnosis of ABPA.