People with systemic sclerosis may be able to have their lungs monitored for a complication of the condition\u00a0using a scan that cuts their exposure to radiation.<\/p>\n
INTRODUCTION<\/strong><\/p>\n People with systemic sclerosis have an abnormal growth of connective tissue. This affects their skin, digestive\u00a0tract, and other internal organs. It causes thickening of the skin and damage to blood vessels. For some people\u00a0it causes damage to the lungs, called interstitial lung disease.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n People with systemic sclerosis have their health checked regularly so that problems can be treated quickly as\u00a0they arise. These checks usually include a CT scan of the chest to check for signs of interstitial lung disease. But\u00a0regular screening with CT scans means regular exposure to radiation.<\/p>\n WHAT DID THE RESEARCHERS HOPE TO FIND?<\/strong><\/p>\n The researchers wanted to see whether a partial chest scan using a lower radiation dose worked as well as the\u00a0standard scan.\u00a0CT scans take an image of a \u2018slice\u2019 through the lung. The standard \u2018whole-chest\u2019 scans take images of many\u00a0slices, close together throughout the whole chest. The reduced dose scans used in the study took just nine\u00a0slices spaced through the chest.<\/p>\n WHO WAS STUDIED?<\/strong><\/p>\n The study included 205 patients being treated for systemic sclerosis at University Hospital, Zurich. All patients\u00a0were having annual checks for progression of the condition.<\/p>\n HOW WAS THE STUDY CONDUCTED?<\/strong><\/p>\n The patients all had both types of scan during their annual check-up. Two independent readers checked the\u00a0images from the scans. The researchers looked to see whether the scans using lower-dose radiation picked up\u00a0all the cases of interstitial lung disease that had been diagnosed by the whole-chest scans.<\/p>\n WHAT DOES THE NEW STUDY SAY?<\/strong><\/p>\n The readers picked up 88 in every 100 cases of interstitial lung disease using the lower-dose radiation scans.\u00a0This means that the lower-dose scans were able to pick up most cases of early disease. HOW RELIABLE ARE THE FINDINGS?<\/strong><\/p>\n It is likely that the results of the study are reliable. However, we don\u2019t know whether people reading the scans\u00a0in other hospitals, who might have been trained in a different way, might have come to different conclusions.<\/p>\n WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR ME?<\/strong><\/p>\n If you have systemic sclerosis, this might be a way to monitor you for early signs of lung disease while protecting\u00a0you from much of the radiation dose of whole-chest scans. This is something you might want to discuss\u00a0with your doctor.<\/p>\n Disclaimer<\/strong>: This is a summary of a scientific article written by a medical professional (\u201cthe Original Article\u201d). The Summary is written to assist non medically trained readers to understand general points of the Original Article. \u00a0It should not be relied on in any way whatsoever<\/span>, (which also means the Summary is not medical advice), and is simply supplied to aid a lay understanding of general points of the Original Article. It is supplied \u201cas is\u201d without any warranty. You should note that the Original Article (and Summary) may not be accurate as errors can occur and also may be out of date as medical science is constantly changing. \u00a0It is very important that readers not rely on the content in the Summary and consult their medical professionals for all aspects of their health care. Do not use this Summary as medical advice even if the Summary is supplied to the reader by a medical professional.<\/strong> Date summary prepared: December 2014<\/p>\n Summary based on research article published on:\u00a030 September 2014<\/p>\n From:\u00a0Frauenfelder, T. et al.<\/em>\u00a0Screening for interstitial lung disease in systemic sclerosis: performance of high-resolution CT with limited number of slices: a prospective study.\u00a0Ann Rheum Dis<\/em> 2014;73:2069-2073 doi:10.1136\/annrheumdis-2014-205637<\/a><\/p>\n Copyright \u00a9 2015 BMJ Publishing Group Ltd & European League Against Rheumatism. Medical professionals may print copies for their and their patients and students non commercial use. Other individuals may print a single copy for their personal, non commercial use. For other uses please contact our Rights and Licensing<\/a> Team.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" People with systemic sclerosis may be able to have their lungs monitored for a complication of the condition\u00a0using a scan that cuts their exposure to radiation. INTRODUCTION People with systemic sclerosis have an abnormal growth of connective tissue. This affects their skin, digestive\u00a0tract, and other internal organs. It causes thickening of the skin and damage […]<\/p>\n
\nThe radiation dose from the lower-dose scans was much lower than the whole-chest scan dose.<\/p>\n
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