Lung shape could hold prognostic information for age-related diseases that affect lung tissue mechanics. We sought to quantify mean lung shape, its modes of variation, and shape associations with lung size, age, sex, and Body Mass Index (BMI) in healthy subjects across a seven-decade age span. Volumetric computed tomography from 83 subjects (49 M/34 F, BMI \(24.7 \pm 2.7\)) was used to derive two statistical shape models using a principal component analysis. One model included, and the other controlled for, lung volume. Volume made the strongest contribution to shape when it was included. Shape had a strong relationship with age but not sex when volume was controlled for, and BMI had only a small but significant association with shape. The first principal shape mode was associated with decrease in the antero-posterior dimension from base to apex. In older subjects this was rapid and obvious, whereas younger subjects had relatively more constant dimension. A shift of the fissures of both lungs in the basal direction was apparent for the older subjects, consistent with a change in tissue elasticity with age. This study suggests a quantifiable structure-function relationship for the healthy adult lung that can potentially be exploited as a normative description against which abnormal can be compared.

肺形状可以为影响肺组织力学的年龄相关疾病提供预后信息。我们试图量化平均肺形状、其变化模式以及形状与肺大小、年龄、性别和身体质量指数 (BMI) 之间的关联，这些关系是健康受试者跨越七年的年龄跨度。来自 83 名受试者的体积计算机断层扫描 (49 M/34 F，BMI \(24.7 \pm 2.7\)) 用于使用主成分分析得出两个统计形状模型。一个模型包括肺容量，另一个控制肺容量。当包含在内时，体积对形状的贡献最大。当控制体积时，形状与年龄有很强的相关性，但与性别无关，而 BMI 与形状只有很小但显着的关联。第一个主要形状模式与从基部到顶点的前后尺寸减小有关。在年长的受试者中，这迅速而明显，而年轻的受试者具有相对更恒定的维度。老年受试者的双肺裂隙在基底方向的移动很明显，这与组织弹性随年龄的变化一致。