@article {Benlala2100329, author = {Ilyes Benlala and Ga{\"e}l Dournes and Pierre-Olivier Girodet and Thomas Benkert and Fran{\c c}ois Laurent and Patrick Berger}, title = {Evaluation of bronchial wall thickness in asthma using magnetic resonance imaging}, elocation-id = {2100329}, year = {2021}, doi = {10.1183/13993003.00329-2021}, publisher = {European Respiratory Society}, abstract = {Background Bronchial thickening is a pathological feature of asthma that has been evaluated using computed tomography (CT), an ionised radiation technique. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) with Ultrashort Echo Time (UTE) pulse sequences could be an alternative to CT.Objectives To measure bronchial dimensions using MRI-UTE in asthmatic patients, by evaluating the accuracy and agreement with CT, by comparing severe and non-severe asthma and by correlating with pulmonary function tests.Methods We assessed bronchial dimensions (wall area (WA), lumen area (LA), normalised wall area (WA\%), and wall thickness (WT)) by MRI-UTE and CT in 15 non-severe and 15 age- and sex-matched severe asthmatic patients (NCT03089346). Accuracy and agreement between MRI and CT was evaluated by paired t-tests and Bland-Altman analysis. Reproducibility was assessed by intra-class correlation coefficient and Bland-Altman analysis. Comparison between non-severe and severe asthmatic parameters was performed by Student-t, Mann-Whitney or Fisher{\textquoteright}s Exact tests. Correlations were assessed by Pearson or Spearman coefficients.Results LA, WA\%, and WT were not significantly different between MRI-UTE and CT, with good correlations and concordance. Inter- and intra-observer reproducibility was moderate to good. WA\% and WT were both higher in severe than in non-severe asthmatic patients. WA, WA\% and WT were all negatively correlated with FEV1.Conclusion We demonstrated that MRI-UTE is an accurate and reliable radiation-free method to assess bronchial wall dimensions in asthma, with enough spatial resolution to differentiate severe from non-severe asthma.FootnotesThis manuscript has recently been accepted for publication in the European Respiratory Journal. It is published here in its accepted form prior to copyediting and typesetting by our production team. After these production processes are complete and the authors have approved the resulting proofs, the article will move to the latest issue of the ERJ online. Please open or download the PDF to view this article.Conflict of interest: Dr. Funke-Chambour reports grants from roche, grants and personal fees from Boehringer Ingelheim, outside the submitted work;. Dr. Funke-Chambour reports grants from roche, grants and personal fees from Boehringer Ingelheim, outside the submitted work;.Conflict of interest: Dr. benlala has a patent {\textquoteleft}Method for generating a biomarker system{\textquoteright} (PCT/EP2020/065380) pending.Conflict of interest: Dr. dournes has a patent {\textquoteleft}Method for geometrical characterization of the airways of the lung by MRI{\textquoteright} (EP N{\textdegree} 17726309.2) issued, and a patent {\textquoteleft}Method for generating a biomarker system{\textquoteright} (PCT/EP2020/065380) pending.Conflict of interest: Dr. girodet reports grants, personal fees and non-financial support from AstraZeneca, personal fees and non-financial support from GSK, personal fees and non-financial support from Novartis, personal fees and non-financial support from Sanofi, outside the submitted work; In addition, Dr. girodet has a patent {\textquoteleft}New compositions and methods of treating and/or preventing COPD{\textquoteright} (EP N{\textdegree}3050574, PCT/EP2016/051771) issued, and a patent {\textquoteleft}New compositions and methods of treating COVID-19 Disease{\textquoteright} (EP N{\textdegree}20173595.8) pending.Conflict of interest: Dr. Benkert reports personal fees from Siemens Healthcare GmbH, outside the submitted work; .Conflict of interest: Dr. laurent reports personal fees and non-financial support from Chiesi, personal fees and non-financial support from Boehringer, personal fees and non-financial support from AstraZeneca, personal fees and non-financial support from Bayer, personal fees and non-financial support from Gilead, personal fees and non-financial support from GSK, outside the submitted work; In addition, Dr. laurent has a patent {\textquoteleft}Method for geometrical characterization of the airways of the lung by MRI{\textquoteright} (EP N{\textdegree} 17726309.2) issued, and a patent {\textquoteleft}Method for generating a biomarker system{\textquoteright} (PCT/EP2020/065380) pending.Conflict of interest: Dr. Berger reports grants from Novartis SAS, France , during the conduct of the study; grants, personal fees and non-financial support from AstraZeneca, grants, personal fees and non-financial support from GSK, grants, personal fees and non-financial support from Novartis, grants, personal fees and non-financial support from Chiesi, personal fees and non-financial support from Menarini, grants, personal fees and non-financial support from Boehringer, personal fees and non-financial support from Sanofi, outside the submitted work; In addition, Dr. Berger has a patent {\textquoteleft}New compositions and methods of treating and/or preventing COPD{\textquoteright} (EP N{\textdegree}3050574, PCT/EP2016/051771) issued, a patent {\textquoteleft}Method for geometrical characterization of the airways of the lung by MRI{\textquoteright} (EP N{\textdegree} 17726309.2) issued, a patent {\textquoteleft}Method for generating a biomarker system{\textquoteright} (PCT/EP2020/065380) pending, and a patent {\textquoteleft}New compositions and methods of treating COVID-19 Disease{\textquoteright} (EP N{\textdegree}20173595.8) pending.}, issn = {0903-1936}, URL = {https://erj.ersjournals.com/content/early/2021/05/20/13993003.00329-2021}, eprint = {https://erj.ersjournals.com/content/early/2021/05/20/13993003.00329-2021.full.pdf}, journal = {European Respiratory Journal} }