Lymphatic plastic bronchitis: a study based on CT and MR lymphangiography

Abstract Objectives To investigate the diagnostic value of CT lymphangiography (CTL) and non-contrast MR lymphangiography (MRL) in lymphatic plastic bronchitis. Materials and methods The clinical and imaging data of 31 patients with lymphatic plastic bronchitis diagnosed by clinical, imaging and pathological results were retrospectively analyzed. All patients underwent CTL and MRL. The imaging findings of patients include: (i) abnormal lymphatic reflux of the bronchial mediastinal trunk, the subclavian trunk, the cervical trunk, the thoracic duct and the right lymphatic duct; Abnormal CTL reflux refers to abnormal iodide deposition outside the normal lymphatic reflux pathway; If the MRL can observe abnormal lymphatic dilatation, hyperplasia, or morphological abnormalities, it is assumed that abnormal lymphatic reflux may be present.; (ii) abnormal morphological changes of lymphatic vessels at the extremity of the thoracic duct, the extremity of the right lymphatic duct and the mediastinum, such as spot-like or tubular, cystic changes; (iii) abnormal CTL and MRL signs in the lungs. The Mcnemar test was used to compare the parameters between CTL and MRL. P 0.05), and the diagnostic consistency was good (Kappa > 0.60). MRL was superior to CTL in detecting lymphatic abnormalities such as cystic changes at the extremity of the thoracic duct, spot-like or tubular changes at the extremity of the right lymphatic duct, cystic changes at the extremity of the right lymphatic duct, and cystic changes in the mediastinum (P 0.05), and the diagnostic consistency was very good, very good, good, good (Kappa > 0.60). There was no significant difference between CTL and MRL in ground glass opacity, airway wall thickening and intralobular interstitial thickening (P> 0.05), and the diagnostic consistency was average, fair and poor (Kappa