Brendan K Huang, Brett M Elicker, Travis S Henry, Kimberly G Kallianos, Lewis D Hahn, Monica Tang, Franklin Heng, Charles E McCulloch, Nirav R Bhakta, Sharmila Majumdar, Jiwoong Choi, Loren C Denlinger, Sean B Fain, Annette T Hastie, Eric A Hoffman, Elliot Israel, Nizar N Jarjour, Bruce D Levy, David T Mauger, Kaharu Sumino, Sally E Wenzel, Mario Castro, Prescott G Woodruff, John V Fahy
BACKGROUND: Information about the size, airway location, and longitudinal behavior of mucus plugs in asthma is needed to understand their role in mechanisms of airflow obstruction and to rationally design muco-active treatments. METHODS: Computed tomography (CT) lung scans from 57 asthma patients were analyzed to quantify mucus plug size and airway location, and paired CT scans obtained 3 years apart were analyzed to determine plug behavior over time. Radiologist annotations of mucus plugs were incorporated in an image-processing pipeline to generate size and location information that was related to measures of airflow...
December 21, 2023: JCI Insight