CORRELATIONS BETWEEN RADIOLOGICAL AND CYTOLOGICAL FINDINGS IN EARLY DEVELOPMENT OF BRONCHOPULMONARY DYSPLASIA

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.