Purpose

The aim of this study was to evaluate the advantages of ultra-high-resolution computed tomography (U-HRCT) for automatic bronchial segmentation.

Materials and methods

This retrospective study was approved by the Institutional Review Board, and written informed consent was waived. Thirty-three consecutive patients who underwent chest CT by a U-HRCT scanner were enrolled. In each patient, CT data were reconstructed by two different protocols: 512 × 512 matrix with 0.5-mm slice thickness (conventional HRCT mode) and 1024 × 1024 matrix with 0.25-mm slice thickness (U-HRCT mode). We used a research workstation to compare the two CT modes with regard to the numbers and total lengths of the automatically segmented bronchi.

Results

Significantly greater numbers and longer lengths of peripheral bronchi were segmented in the U-HRCT mode than in the conventional HRCT mode (P < 0.001, for fifth- to eighth-generation bronchi). For example, the mean numbers and total lengths of the sixth-generation bronchi were 81 and 1048 mm in the U-HRCT mode and 59 and 538 mm in the conventional HRCT mode.

Conclusions

The U-HRCT mode greatly improves automatic airway segmentation for the more peripheral bronchi, compared with the conventional HRCT mode. This advantage can be applied to routine clinical care, such as virtual bronchoscopy and automatic lung segmentation.

中文翻译：

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超 HRCT 扫描上的自动支气管分割：1024 矩阵大小与 0.25 毫米切片厚度重建的优势。

目的

本研究的目的是评估超高分辨率计算机断层扫描 (U-HRCT) 在自动支气管分割方面的优势。

材料和方法

这项回顾性研究得到了机构审查委员会的批准，并放弃了书面知情同意。连续招募了 33 名接受 U-HRCT 扫描仪进行胸部 CT 的患者。在每个患者中，CT 数据通过两种不同的协议重建：512 × 512 矩阵，0.5 毫米切片厚度（传统 HRCT 模式）和 1024 × 1024 矩阵，0.25 毫米切片厚度（U-HRCT 模式）。我们使用研究工作站在自动分割的支气管的数量和总长度方面比较了两种 CT 模式。

结果

与传统 HRCT 模式相比，U-HRCT 模式中分割出的外周支气管的数量和长度明显更多（P  < 0.001，对于第五代至第八代支气管）。例如，U-HRCT 模式下第六代支气管的平均数量和总长度分别为 81 和 1048 毫米，常规 HRCT 模式下为 59 和 538 毫米。

结论

与传统的 HRCT 模式相比，U-HRCT 模式极大地改善了周边支气管的自动气道分割。这一优势可应用于常规临床护理，例如虚拟支气管镜检查和自动肺分割。