PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - João Nunes Caldeira Marinho Matos
AU  - Sofia Rodrigues Sousa
AU  - Lídia Sousa Gomes
AU  - Cidália Rodrigues
TI  - Usefullnes of chest computed tomography as a tool to predict COPD exacerbations
AID  - 10.1183/13993003.congress-2021.PA3834
DP  - 2021 Sep 05
TA  - European Respiratory Journal
PG  - PA3834
VI  - 58
IP  - suppl 65
4099  - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/58/suppl_65/PA3834.short
4100  - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/58/suppl_65/PA3834.full
SO  - Eur Respir J2021 Sep 05; 58
AB  - Introduction: Phenotyping of COPD patients by chest computed tomography (CT) has been shown to correlate with pulmonary function parameters. Whether if it is of interest in prediction of COPD exacerbations is under investigation.Objectives: To evaluate the association of COPD CT phenotyping with patients’ exacerbations profiles.Methods: Retrospective analysis of COPD patients’ exacerbation history during a 1-year period. Patients were classified into normal, air dominant, emphysema dominant and mixed type based on CT scans using two cutoffs: percentage of low attenuation area (%LAA) less than a threshold of -950 Hounsfield units of 15% and the upper quartile value of the percentage of bronchial wall area (WA%/BSA). Exacerbation and its severity were defined accordingly to the GOLD 2021 report.Results: A total of 80 patients were evaluated. Median age was 66.5 (IQR 16) years. Mean number of exacerbations was 1 (±1.2) for the normal phenotype; 0.74 (±1.5) for air-dominant; 1.9 (±2.6) for emphysema-dominant; and 1 (±1.4) for mixed-type. There were no statistical differences regarding having an exacerbation, the number of exacerbations, nor the severity of the exacerbation (respectively, p=0.937; p=0.315; and severe: p=0.579; mild: p=0.388; and light: p=0.620). COPD CT phenotyping did not statistically predict the occurrence of exacerbations of any severity (X2=0.417, p=0.937, R2=0.007), neither the number of exacerbations (F[1,78]=0.255,p=0.615, R2=0.003). Similar results were found when analyzing each level of severity individually.Conclusions: In our sample, COPD CT phenotyping did not statistically predict COPD exacerbations. Our results lead us to recommend against its use for this purpose.FootnotesCite this article as: European Respiratory Journal 2021; 58: Suppl. 65, PA3834.This abstract was presented at the 2021 ERS International Congress, in session “Prediction of exacerbations in patients with COPD”.This is an ERS International Congress abstract. No full-text version is available. Further material to accompany this abstract may be available at www.ers-education.org (ERS member access only).