Computed Tomographic Measures of Pulmonary Vascular Morphology in Smokers and Their Clinical Implications

Angiographic investigation suggests that pulmonary vascular remodeling in smokers is characterized by distal pruning of the blood vessels.Using volumetric computed tomography scans of the chest we sought to quantitatively evaluate this process and assess its clinical associations.Pulmonary vessels were automatically identified, segmented, and measured. Total blood vessel volume (TBV) and the aggregate vessel volume for vessels less than 5 mm(2)...