ABSTRACT
Objective To analyze the correlation between emphysema extent measured by high resolution computed tomography (HRCT) and pulmonary function tests, symptom score in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease ( COPD ) , and to study the value of HRCT in the emphysema quantification in the clinical evaluation of COPD patients. Methods 78 patients with stable COPD were recruited to take the HRCT scan , and emphysema extent was qualified by measuring the proportion of low attenuation area in the whole lung (LAA%). Correlations between LAA% and indices of pulmonary function test, bronchial dilation test, mMRC scale, CAT score and six minutes walking distance (6MWD) were assessed. Results LAA% was negatively correlated with FEV1/FVC and DLCO%pred, and the correlation coefficients were -0.759 and -0.589 (P 0.05). Conclusions The severity of emphysema measured by HRCT is well correlated with the clinical symptoms , pulmonary function tests and exercise capacity in COPD patients. It can be used to diagnose emphysema early and to evaluate the severity of the disease com-prehensively. Thus, the risk factors of COPD can be controlled and the prognosis of the patients can be im-proved.