Department of Radiology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA.
Department of Ultrasound, First Hospital of Qinhuangdao, Qinhuangdao, China.
J Ultrasound Med. 2021 Apr;40(4):763-770. doi: 10.1002/jum.15448. Epub 2020 Aug 31.
The aim of this study was to assess bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis on ex vivo mouse lungs using ultrasound image grading and texture analysis.
Excised mouse lungs were divided into 3 groups: control, mild fibrosis, and severe fibrosis based on the monitored indicators of health. B-mode ultrasound images were obtained via scanning the mouse lungs ex vivo. The surface smoothness, echo density, and angle of lesions or the lung margin were graded, and the imaging contrast, correlation, homogeneity, and entropy were assessed via texture analysis.
The grades of surface smoothness, echo density, and angle were statistically higher for the severe fibrosis group compared with those of the control and mild fibrosis groups (P < .05). In addition, statistically significant differences in the contrast, correlation, and homogeneity between mild and severe fibrosis groups were observed (P < .05).
The results obtained in this study suggest that ultrasound image grading and texture analysis are valuable and meaningful methods for assessing pulmonary fibrosis in a bleomycin mouse model.
本研究旨在利用超声图像分级和纹理分析评估博莱霉素诱导的肺纤维化。
根据监测的健康指标，将离体小鼠肺分为对照组、轻度纤维化组和重度纤维化组。通过对离体小鼠肺进行扫描，获得 B 型超声图像。对病变或肺缘的表面光滑度、回声密度和角度进行分级，并通过纹理分析评估图像对比度、相关性、均匀性和熵。
与对照组和轻度纤维化组相比，重度纤维化组的表面光滑度、回声密度和角度分级均显著升高（P < .05）。此外，在轻度和重度纤维化组之间，对比度、相关性和均匀性也存在显著差异（P < .05）。
本研究结果表明，超声图像分级和纹理分析是评估博莱霉素诱导的小鼠肺纤维化的一种有价值且有意义的方法。
