Lung Elastrosonography in Diagnosis and Stratification of COPD and Fibrosis

Elastosonography is an advanced ultrasound technique, nowadays available in many portable systems, allowing to measure elasticity and stiffness of parenchymatous organs. Its main current applications concern the advanced diagnostics of liver, thyroid and breast nodules. Few studies have applied elastosonography to the respiratory system, and to date no-one has evaluated the elasticity of lung parenchyma in COPD and only one in pulmonary fibrosis. The primary aim of this study is to compare the elasticity features of lung parenchyma, measured by bedside ultrasound integrated with ultrasonography, among three groups of subjects: 1. patients with COPD and/or lung fibrosis; 2. smokers with no functional evidence of COPD or fibrosis; 3. healthy non-smoking volunteers. The secondary aim is to verify the possible correlation of elastosonography-related parameters of lung elasticity/stiffness with results of lung function tests. One hundred and thirty-eight subjects (46 per group) will be enrolled in this experimental study, on both inpatient and outpatient basis. The presence or absence of COPD or fibrosis will be assessed integrating personal history, imaging tests and functional tests prior to enrolment. Smoking habits will also be carefully investigated. Excluded from the study will be all subjects with acute COPD flares, acute respiratory failure, inability to undergo lung ultrasound examination and lung function tests, cognitive impairment, severe motoric disability, cancer, poor survival prognosis. Each participant will undergo standard lung function tests and bediside ultrasound examination integrated with lung elastosonography during the same day. Lung function tests will be performed with a Carefusion MSC Body spirometer following standard procedures. Lung ultrasound will be performed by a skilled physician, using the convex probe of an Esaote Mylab Seven ultrasound system (Esaote, Genova, Italy), equipped with strain elastography module ElaXto©. The participant