Sarah Svenningsen1, Rachel L Eddy2, Melanie Kjarsgaard3, Grace Parraga2, Parameswaran Nair4. 1. Firestone Institute for Respiratory Health, St Joseph's Healthcare, Hamilton, ON, Canada; Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada. Electronic address: svennins@mcmaster.ca. 2. Robarts Research Institute, University of Western Ontario, ON, Canada; Department of Medical Biophysics, Western University, London, ON, Canada. 3. Firestone Institute for Respiratory Health, St Joseph's Healthcare, Hamilton, ON, Canada. 4. Firestone Institute for Respiratory Health, St Joseph's Healthcare, Hamilton, ON, Canada; Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The functional consequence of airway obstruction in asthma can be regionally measured using inhaled gas MRI. Ventilation defects visualized by MRI persist post-bronchodilator in patients with severe asthma with uncontrolled sputum eosinophilia and may be due to eosinophil-driven airway pathology that is responsive to "anti-T2" therapy. RESEARCH QUESTION: Do anti-T2 therapies that clear eosinophils from the airway lumen decrease ventilation defects, measured by inhaled gas MRI, in adults with prednisone-dependent asthma? STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Inhaled hyperpolarized gas MRI was performed before and after bronchodilation in 10 prednisone-dependent patients with asthma with uncontrolled eosinophilic bronchitis (sputum eosinophils ≥3%) at baseline and 558 (100-995) days later when their eosinophilic bronchitis had been controlled (sputum eosinophils <3%) by additional anti-T2 therapy. The effect of anti-T2 therapy on ventilation defects, quantified as the MRI ventilation-defect-percent (VDP), was evaluated before and after bronchodilation for all patients and compared between patients dichotomized based on the median percentage of sputum eosinophils at baseline (15.8%). RESULTS: MRI VDP was improved pre- (ΔVDP+anti-T2: -3% ± 4%, P = .02) and post-bronchodilator (ΔVDP+anti-T2: -3% ± 4%; P = .04) after additional anti-T2 therapy that controlled eosinophilic bronchitis (n = 2 mepolizumab, n = 2 reslizumab, n = 3 benralizumab, n = 1 dupilumab, n = 2 increased daily prednisone). A greater post-bronchodilator ΔVDP+anti-T2 was observed in those patients with median or higher percentage of sputum eosinophils at baseline (≥15.8%; P = .01). In 7 of 10 patients with asthma, residual ventilation defects persisted despite bronchodilator and anti-T2 therapy. INTERPRETATION: Controlling sputum eosinophilia with anti-T2 therapies improves ventilation defects, measured by inhaled gas MRI, in adults with prednisone-dependent asthma.
BACKGROUND: The functional consequence of airway obstruction in asthma can be regionally measured using inhaled gas MRI. Ventilation defects visualized by MRI persist post-bronchodilator in patients with severe asthma with uncontrolled sputum eosinophilia and may be due to eosinophil-driven airway pathology that is responsive to "anti-T2" therapy. RESEARCH QUESTION: Do anti-T2 therapies that clear eosinophils from the airway lumen decrease ventilation defects, measured by inhaled gas MRI, in adults with prednisone-dependent asthma? STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Inhaled hyperpolarized gas MRI was performed before and after bronchodilation in 10 prednisone-dependent patients with asthma with uncontrolled eosinophilic bronchitis (sputum eosinophils ≥3%) at baseline and 558 (100-995) days later when their eosinophilic bronchitis had been controlled (sputum eosinophils <3%) by additional anti-T2 therapy. The effect of anti-T2 therapy on ventilation defects, quantified as the MRI ventilation-defect-percent (VDP), was evaluated before and after bronchodilation for all patients and compared between patients dichotomized based on the median percentage of sputum eosinophils at baseline (15.8%). RESULTS: MRI VDP was improved pre- (ΔVDP+anti-T2: -3% ± 4%, P = .02) and post-bronchodilator (ΔVDP+anti-T2: -3% ± 4%; P = .04) after additional anti-T2 therapy that controlled eosinophilic bronchitis (n = 2 mepolizumab, n = 2 reslizumab, n = 3 benralizumab, n = 1 dupilumab, n = 2 increased daily prednisone). A greater post-bronchodilator ΔVDP+anti-T2 was observed in those patients with median or higher percentage of sputum eosinophils at baseline (≥15.8%; P = .01). In 7 of 10 patients with asthma, residual ventilation defects persisted despite bronchodilator and anti-T2 therapy. INTERPRETATION: Controlling sputum eosinophilia with anti-T2 therapies improves ventilation defects, measured by inhaled gas MRI, in adults with prednisone-dependent asthma.
Authors: Marcello Cottini; Carlo Lombardi; Giovanni Passalacqua; Diego Bagnasco; Alvise Berti; Pasquale Comberiati; Gianluca Imeri; Massimo Landi; Enrico Heffler Journal: Front Med (Lausanne) Date: 2022-05-23
Authors: Neil J Stewart; Laurie J Smith; Ho-Fung Chan; James A Eaden; Smitha Rajaram; Andrew J Swift; Nicholas D Weatherley; Alberto Biancardi; Guilhem J Collier; David Hughes; Gill Klafkowski; Christopher S Johns; Noreen West; Kelechi Ugonna; Stephen M Bianchi; Rod Lawson; Ian Sabroe; Helen Marshall; Jim M Wild Journal: Br J Radiol Date: 2021-06-09 Impact factor: 3.629