Application of pulmonary vascular CT imaging in acute respiratory distress syndrome: current status and prospects

Abstract:

Acute respiratory distress syndrome（ARDS） is an intractable hypoxemia caused by injury of pulmonary capillary endothe－lial cells and alveolar epithelial cells. Pulmonary computed tomography（CT） plays an important role in the diagnosis and evaluation of ARDS，whereas pulmonary CT angiography plays an important role in the diagnosis and treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease，pulmonary embolism，and pulmonary hypertension. However，the use of pulmonary CT angiography in the evaluation of lung perfusion and vascular changes during ARDS has rarely been examined. This article reviews the application of pulmonary CT angiog－raphy in pulmonary diseases，the latest progress in pulmonary vascular CT imaging，and the pathogenesis and pathophysiological changes of ARDS. We will briefly discuss the current application of pulmonary vascular CT imaging in ARDS and the feasibility of using imaging changes to evaluate ARDS.