Stern E J, Frank M S
Department of Radiology (ZA-65), Harborview Medical Center, University of Washington, Seattle 98104.
AJR Am J Roentgenol. 1994 Apr;162(4):791-8. doi: 10.2214/ajr.162.4.8140992.
Pulmonary emphysema is a pathologic diagnosis. However, the diagnosis can be made with relative certainty on the basis of clinical and radiologic criteria. The clinical diagnosis of emphysema can be difficult because correlations between results of lung function tests and the extent of emphysema are poor. Additionally, features of other obstructive lung diseases may overlap. From the clinician's standpoint, the main value of differentiating between emphysema and other obstructive diseases of the airways (e.g., asthma and chronic bronchitis) is to (1) establish a prognosis and (2) guide the use of corticosteroid therapy by defining the degree of reversibility that can be expected in patients with limitation in air flow.
肺气肿是一种病理学诊断。然而，基于临床和放射学标准，也能够相对确定地做出诊断。肺气肿的临床诊断可能存在困难，因为肺功能测试结果与肺气肿程度之间的相关性较差。此外，其他阻塞性肺疾病的特征可能相互重叠。从临床医生的角度来看，区分肺气肿与其他气道阻塞性疾病（如哮喘和慢性支气管炎）的主要价值在于：（1）判断预后；（2）通过明确气流受限患者预期的可逆程度来指导皮质类固醇疗法的使用。
