Fazlıoğlu Nevin, Sasani Hadi, Fazlıoğlu Mithat, Çiftçi Ezgi Pınar, Mutlu Levent Cem
Department of Pulmonology, Faculty of Medicine, Tekirdag Namik Kemal University, Tekirdag, 59030, Turkey.
Department of Radiology, Faculty of Medicine, Tekirdag Namik Kemal University, Tekirdag, Turkey.
BMC Pulm Med. 2025 Apr 5;25(1):157. doi: 10.1186/s12890-025-03624-x.
In this research project, we examined the relationship between tracheal size and respiratory function in individuals with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF). IPF is a long-term condition that affects the functioning of the lungs.
This retrospective study included 86 patients diagnosed with IPF. Tracheal and bronchial diameters were measured using high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) and pulmonary function tests (PFTs); Force vital capacity (FVC), diffusion capacity for carbon monoxide (DLCO) and the gender, age, physiology (GAP) index was calculated. Patients were grouped according to demographic characteristics such as age, gender and smoking.
There was a significant positive correlation between the anteroposterior (AP) and transverse diameters of the trachea in the subcricoid region and the GAP index (r = 0.318, p = 0.003 and r = 0.312, p = 0.004, respectively). Similarly, subcricoid and carina areas were significantly correlated with both GAP index (r = 0.307, p = 0.006 and r = 0.334, p = 0.003, respectively) and FVC/DLCO ratio (r = 0.218, p = 0.049 and r = 0.245, p = 0.027, respectively). The main bronchial areas were also positively correlated with the GAP index, but no significant correlation was found between FVC and DLCO values and airway measurements. Each unit increase in GAP index was associated with a 1.69-fold increase in mortality risk (p = 0.0016, 95% confidence interval: 1.22-2.34).
Tracheal and main bronchial areas can be used as potential biomarkers in the assessment of disease severity and prognosis in IPF patients. In particular, the significant correlation of subcricoid and carina areas with both GAP index and FVC/DLCO ratio suggests that these measurements may be useful in the evaluation of disease progression.
在本研究项目中，我们研究了特发性肺纤维化（IPF）患者气管大小与呼吸功能之间的关系。IPF是一种影响肺部功能的长期病症。
这项回顾性研究纳入了86例确诊为IPF的患者。使用高分辨率计算机断层扫描（HRCT）和肺功能测试（PFT）测量气管和支气管直径；计算用力肺活量（FVC）、一氧化碳弥散量（DLCO）以及性别、年龄、生理学（GAP）指数。根据年龄、性别和吸烟等人口统计学特征对患者进行分组。
环状软骨下区域气管的前后径和横径与GAP指数之间存在显著正相关（分别为r = 0.318，p = 0.003和r = 0.312，p = 0.004）。同样，环状软骨下区域和隆突区域与GAP指数（分别为r = 0.307，p = 0.006和r = 0.334，p = 0.003）以及FVC/DLCO比值（分别为r = 0.218，p = 0.049和r = 0.245，p = 0.027）均显著相关。主支气管区域也与GAP指数呈正相关，但未发现FVC和DLCO值与气道测量值之间存在显著相关性。GAP指数每增加一个单位，死亡风险增加1.69倍（p = 0.0016，95%置信区间：1.22 - 2.34）。
气管和主支气管区域可作为评估IPF患者疾病严重程度和预后的潜在生物标志物。特别是，环状软骨下区域和隆突区域与GAP指数以及FVC/DLCO比值显著相关，表明这些测量值可能有助于评估疾病进展。
