Lung Quantitative Ultrasound to Stage and Monitor Interstitial Lung Diseases

TL;DR

This paper introduces new ultrasound-based biomarkers to assess and monitor the severity of interstitial lung diseases in a non-invasive and quantitative way.

Contribution

The study presents novel quantitative ultrasound biomarkers that correlate with the severity of pulmonary fibrosis and edema in rodent lungs.

Findings

Ultrasound scattering in the lung can be used to create biomarkers for interstitial lung diseases.

Quantitative ultrasound parameters significantly correlate with the severity of pulmonary fibrosis and edema.

The proposed method is suitable for use with portable ultrasound devices for point-of-care monitoring.

Abstract

Chronic interstitial lung diseases (ILDs) require frequent point-of-care monitoring. X-ray-based methods lack resolution and are ionizing. Chest computerized tomographic (CT) scans are expensive and provide more radiation. Conventional ultrasound can detect severe lung damage via vertical artifacts (B-lines). However, this information is not quantitative, and the appearance of B-lines is operator- and system-dependent. Here we demonstrate novel ultrasound-based biomarkers to assess severity of ILDs. Lung alveoli scatter ultrasound waves, leading to a complex acoustic signature, which is affected by changes in alveolar density due to ILDs. We exploit ultrasound scattering in the lung and combine Quantitative Ultrasound (QUS) parameters, to develop ultrasound-based biomarkers that significantly correlate to the severity of pulmonary fibrosis and edema in rodent lungs. These innovative QUS biomarkers will be very significant for monitoring severity of chronic ILDs and response to treatment, especially in this new era of miniaturized and highly portable ultrasound devices.

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