G. Noack et al., CORRELATIONS BETWEEN RADIOLOGICAL AND CYTOLOGICAL FINDINGS IN EARLY DEVELOPMENT OF BRONCHOPULMONARY DYSPLASIA, European journal of pediatrics, 152(12), 1993, pp. 1024-1029
Sequential chest radiographs from 40 newborn infants requiring assiste
d ventilation for respiratory distress syndrome or other conditions we
re evaluated with a new scoring system aiming at identifying abnormal
expansion patterns and interstitial infiltrates representing an early
stage of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). Age at examination ranged f
rom 3 to 23 days. Tracheal effluent samples obtained from the babies d
uring the same period of observation were examined cytologically for e
vidence of regenerating airway epithelium with squamous meta samples,
indicating BPD. According to the radiological scoring system 24 babies
(60%) developed BPD, first diagnosed at a median age of 9 days. By cy
tological criteria 20 babies (50%) developed BPD, first diagnosed at a
median age of 10.5 days. The results from radiological and cytologica
l diagnosis of BPD were concordant in 16 babies (P < 0.05 by chi-squar
e test). Using oxygen dependency at the age of 28 days as evidence of
established BPD, the radiological scoring system alone had a sensitivi
ty of 93% and a specificity of 53%. The corresponding figures for cyto
logical assessment alone were 73% and 58%, respectively. By combining
radiological and cytological findings, values for sensitivity and spec
ificity were 67% and 68%, respectively.