Changes in HRCT findings in patients with RB-ILD following smoking cessation

¹ Third Dept of Internal Medicine
² Thoracic Surgery, National Hospital Organization, Fukui Hospital, Turuga, Fukui, Japan and
³ Radiology, Medical Faculty, University of Fukui, Fukui, Japan
⁴ Pathology, National Hospital Organization, Kinki-Chuo Chest Medical Center, Sakai, Osaka, Japan
⁵ Nursing Science and

	Abstract

High resolution computed tomography findings in patents with respiratory bronchiolitis-associated interstitial lung disease (RB-ILD) are varied and non-specific. However, there is no known report of changes in HRCT findings and respiratory function test results for RB-ILD patients following the cessation of smoking.

We retrospectively studied 5 patients with RB-ILD, confirmed by surgical lung biopsy. Each stopped cigarette smoking and did not receive corticosteroid therapy after diagnosis. We compared the clinical symptoms, respiratory function test results and HRCT findings obtained at the final observation with those from the time of diagnosis.

Ground-glass opacity and centrilobular nodules corresponding to pathological respiratory bronchiolitis as well as intralobular fine linear-reticular opacity corresponding to fibrosis involving the subpleural alveolar septa showed CT-pathologic correlations. Both clinical symptoms and the diffusing capacity of the lungs for carbon monoxide improved significantly following smoking cessation, as did ground-glass opacity and centrilobular nodules seen during the initial HRCT examination.

Centrilobular nodules and ground-glass opacity, which are the main HRCT features of RB-ILD patients and represent pathological respiratory bronchiolitis (RB), can be improved by smoking cessation. DLco in respiratory function tests can be also improved.