The Volume of Lung Parenchyma as a Function of Age: A Review of 1050 Normal CT Scans of the Chest With Three-Dimensional Volumetric Reconstruction of the Pulmonary System

In Brief Study Design. An Institutional Review Board-approved retrospective review of 3400 sequential CT scans of the thorax obtained at a single institution over a 3-year period from 2000 to 2003 was performed Objectives. We determined values for the volume of the right lung, left lung, and total lung volume and plot these data as a function of age and sex Summary of Background Data. To our knowledge, no normative data on CT determined lung volume as a function of age have been published Methods. All examinations with a report of a normal CT scan of the chest (1050 examinations) were identified. The volume of lung parenchyma in each normal examination was determined by performing a three-dimensional reconstruction of the pulmonary system Results. Predicted increases in pulmonary volume with age for the third to 97th percentiles of male and female children were calculated Conclusions. Normal values for the volume of lung parenchyma as a function of age and sex increase the clinical utility of a standard CT scan of the thorax in evaluating children with complex spinal deformities. They are a useful adjunct to pulmonary function testing. These data can be used in the pre- and postoperative evaluation of patients who are at risk of thoracic insufficiency syndrome, particularly in patients younger than 5 years of age, when standard pulmonary function testing cannot be accomplished. The effects of nonoperative treatment, early spinal fusion, and new techniques for the fusionless management of spinal deformity on lung volume can be quantified and compared to normal values. A retrospective review of 1050 CT scans with a report of a normal thorax obtained at a single institution over a 3-year period from 2000 to 2003 was performed. Values for the volume of the right lung, left lung, and total lung volume were determined by three-dimensional reconstruction of CT data and plotted as a function of age and sex. These data increase the clinical utility of a standard CT scan of the thorax in evaluating children with complex spinal deformities. They are a useful adjunct to pulmonary function testing, particularly in patients younger than 5 years of age, when standard pulmonary function testing cannot be accomplished. With these data, the effects of spinal deformity and surgical interventions on lung volume can be quantified and compared to normal values.