Correlation of Digital Chest Radiograph Parameters with Pulmonary Function Test and BODE Index for Diagnosis and Prognostication in Indian COPD Patients

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. COPD was under diagnosed in India, but is now recognized in 4-10 per cent of adult male population of India and several other Asian countries [1]. Spirometry is the accepted and standard for the diagnosis and assessment of severity of COPD. BODE index is a multidimensional grading system that assesses the respiratory and systemic expressions of COPD that would better categorize and predict outcome in these patients. It uses various clinical and physiological variables like body-mass index (B), the degree of airflow obstruction (O) dyspnoea (D), and exercise capacity (E) as assessed by the six-minute-walk test [2,3]. Studies done in the past have provided conflicting results with regard to the role of radiographic evaluation of COPD [4,5]. With the advent of digital radiography, there is significant improvement in the dynamic range and exposure latitude which has improved the quality of the chest radiograph, thereby increasing the rate of detection of various airway diseases. Various post processing tools [inversion of image, magnification, contrast adjustment etc.] are available in the picture archiving communication system [PACS] which further improve the image interpretation capabilities. Little has been done to study the ability of digital radiography to diagnose or quantify COPD when the patient is subjected to chest radiograph prior to evaluation with PFT or when COPD features are incidentally identified during routine radiographic reporting. This study was designed to correlate the various quantitative and qualitative indices of COPD in the postero-anterior CXR with pulmonary function test parameters and BODE index and Volume 5 Issue 1 2018