January 31, 2014Open Access

Quantification of Tortuosity and Fractal Dimension of the Lung Vessels in Pulmonary Hypertension Patients

Q: What is the clinical evidence from this study?

Study design: Observational. Population: Pulmonary Hypertension (n=24). Intervention: Contrast-enhanced thoracic CT scans vs. Patients without pulmonary hypertension. Primary outcome: Distance metric (tortuosity) (null, 95% CI null, p=<0.05).

Key Result

Vessel tortuosity, measured by distance metric, was significantly higher in patients with pulmonary hypertension at 1.230 compared to 1.208 in patients without pulmonary hypertension (p < 0.05).

Study Design

Type

Observational (n=24)

Multicenter

PICO

Population

Pulmonary Hypertension (n=24)

Intervention / Comparator

Contrast-enhanced thoracic CT scans vs Patients without pulmonary hypertension

Primary Outcome

Distance metric (tortuosity) — null (null), p=<0.05

Main Result

Effect estimate: null (95% CI null)

Absolute Event Rate: 1.23% vs 1.208%

p-value: p=<0.05

Limitations

Small sample size limits generalizability.
Detection limited to vessels >= 2 mm due to scanner resolution.

Abstract

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01607489.

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Cite This Study

Helmberger et al. (Fri,) conducted a observational in Pulmonary Hypertension (n=24). Contrast-enhanced thoracic CT scans vs. Patients without pulmonary hypertension was evaluated on Distance metric (tortuosity) (null, 95% CI null, p=<0.05). Vessel tortuosity, measured by distance metric, was significantly higher in patients with pulmonary hypertension at 1.230 compared to 1.208 in patients without pulmonary hypertension (p < 0.05).

synapsesocial.com/papers/6970091ff0f269d1c61f47d6 https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0087515