Link: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31414171

Pediatr Surg Int. 2019 Aug 14. doi: 10.1007/s00383-019-04543-9. [Epub ahead of print]
A new approach using image analysis to assess pulmonary hypoplasia in the fetal lamb diaphragmatic hernia model.
Kawaguchi T1, Kawaguchi K2, Obayashi J2, Tanaka K2, Ohyama K2, Seki Y2, Nagae H2, Furuta S2, Pringle KC3, Kitagawa H2.
Author information
1
Division of Pediatric Surgery, St. Marianna University School of Medicine, 2-16-1, Sugao, Miyamae-ku, Kawasaki, Kanagawa, 2168511, Japan. t2kawaguchi@marianna-u.ac.jp.
2
Division of Pediatric Surgery, St. Marianna University School of Medicine, 2-16-1, Sugao, Miyamae-ku, Kawasaki, Kanagawa, 2168511, Japan.
3
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Otago, Wellington, New Zealand.
Abstract
BACKGROUND:
In congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH), there is pulmonary hypoplasia (PH) and also pulmonary vascular and bronchial abnormalities. Few studies have investigated bronchial maldevelopment in CDH. We evaluated bronchial area (BA) by bronchography in a fetal lamb DH model to develop a measure of PH.

METHODS:
We created DH in fetal lambs at 75 days gestation, delivering by cesarean section and killing them at term (DH, n = 12). Normal term fetuses provided controls (C, n  = 5). We measured total lung volume (TLV) and performed barium bronchography. Using image analysis, BA, total lung area (TLA) and bronchial area/lung area ratio (B/L ratio) were calculated. Student's T test (p < 0.05; significant) and Spearman's correlation coefficient were performed.

RESULTS:
TLV (ml) was 133.3 ± 41.2 in DH and 326 ± 22.5 in C (p = 0.0000001). TLA (cm2) was 78.8 ± 17.4 in DH and 107.1 ± 10.3 in C (p = 0.006). BA (cm2) was 39.6 ± 11.9 in DH and 52.2 ± 7.7 in C (p = 0.019). The B/L ratio was 0.45 ± 0.06 in DH and 0.49 ± 0.05 in C (p = 0.2. There are correlations in DH between TLV and TLA (r = 0.79), TLV and BA (r = 0.73) and in C between TLV and TLA (r = 0.97) and TLV and BA (r = 0.67).

CONCLUSION:
It may be possible to assess PH on fetal MRI, given the correlation between TLV and TLA, and TLV and BA.

KEYWORDS:
Bronchial abnormalities; CDH; Congenital diaphragmatic hernia; Image analysis; Pulmonary hypoplasia

PMID: 31414171 DOI: 10.1007/s00383-019-0454