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The fundamental importance of calibration for any measuring device is indisputable, but computed tomography (CT) calibration in longitudinal lung densitometry studies is largely unexplored. Although the validity of CT as a measure of emphysema has been confirmed in cross-sectional studies, there are limited data on long-term reproducibility, and this is critically important for validating its use as an outcome measure in therapeutic trials. A general understanding of the strengths and pitfalls of CT densitometry is critical for physicians reviewing the published literature using this methodology. In our study of 57 patients with alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (phenotype PiZ), progression of voxel index determined from three successive annual scans acquired with a fully calibrated scanner was intimately associated with changes in CT air densitometry, sampled from patient images. Images were therefore reanalyzed, using a correction technique validated in phantom studies that adjusted for changes in measured air density, and the reliability of the voxel index as a measure of emphysema progression was improved. Comparison of adjusted voxel index thresholds indicated the optimum threshold was -950 Hounsfield units. Internal air calibration is therefore critical in longitudinal and multicenter lung densitometry studies of emphysema and incorporation of a correction factor is essential for quantitative image analysis.
Parr et al. (Wed,) studied this question.