CT found effective for Dx lung collapse in women

Using high-resolution CT scans to screen for lymphangioleiomyomatosis is cost-effective in women between the ages of 25 and 54 who don’t smoke and come to the emergency room for the first time with a collapsed lung, according to University of Cincinnati researchers.

About 5% of women who fit the “model patient” profile-a 30-year old, nonsmoking woman who comes into the emergency room with a spontaneous lung collapse-test positive for lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM).

Screening for LAM with high-resolution CT is the most cost-effective strategy, with approximately $32,000 per quality-adjusted life year gained, the authors said. With this data, physicians will be able to intervene with therapies more quickly and enroll patients in clinical trials that may be able to slow progression of the disease.

The study will change future guideline recommendations on how to treat patients presenting with pneumothorax, according to Dr. John Heffner, past president of the American Thoracic Society.

The findings have been published online in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.