CT quantification of pulmonary vessels in lung aging

This study evaluated the impact of aging on pulmonary vessels using computed tomography quantification, focusing on the correlation between pulmonary vascular volume and lung function during aging. Utilizing AVIEW software, 330 healthy adults—161 men and 169 women across various age groups—were measured for total blood vessel volume (TBV) and small blood vessel volume with a cross-sectional area less than 5 mm² (BV5), standardized against the body surface area (BSA). Results indicated that both TBV/BSA and BV5/BSA parameters decreased significantly with age across all lung sections (p<0.05) and were notably higher in men than in women. The decline in pulmonary vascular volume was consistent among genders and became more pronounced with aging. The study concluded that aging leads to a decrease in pulmonary vascular volumes, TBV/BSA and BV5/BSA, which are weakly yet positively correlated with pulmonary function, highlighting the aging effect on pulmonary vascular health.