Clinical Research Directory

Dynamic Chest X-ray With Simultaneous Spirometry

Sponsor: Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Summary

Dynamic chest X-ray (DCR) is a novel radiographic technique that enables us to visualise the movement of the chest and lungs in real-time by recording a series of x-ray images over 10-20 second interval. DCR provides an assessment of structures involved in respiration over a time period and could therefore provide us with insights into respiratory function. It may be possible that relating DCR to conventional breathing tests allows it to be used as a surrogate tool to measure lung function. Alternatively, it may provide different parameters of lung function which don't directly correlate with conventional testing, but are of themselves clinically relevant. Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a genetic condition that results in the body producing thick , dehydrated secretions. It is usually characterised by a cycle of recurring lung infections and inflammation resulting in progressive lung damage. A key clinical investigation for people with cystic fibrosis (pwCF), and other chest conditions, is a spirometry breathing test. Despite spirometry's fundamental role in chest medicine it can be poorly tolerated. In order to evaluate the utility of DCR as a tool for assessing lung function, it is important to be able to compare it to currently available pulmonary function tests such as spirometry. Previous studies have compared sequential lung function testing to DCR images; however, there may be significant variability in 2 separate manoeuvres as they are effort and technique dependent (i.e. when performing a DCR followed by spirometry or vice versa). Currently, there have been no studies that compare DCR with a simultaneous lung function test such as spirometry. This observational, prospective, non-randomised, single centre , pilot study aims to address this issue by performing simultaneous spirometry and DCR to establish how DCR compares with spirometry in a healthy population of individuals. The investigators would seek to also perform the DCR with simultaneous spirometry in a cohort of pwCF, allowing for comparison between the two groups. Furthermore DCR imaging has been part of the annual review process for pwCF at Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital since 2019. The study investigators therefore intend to review how changes in DCR metrics over time relate to changes in other key clinical markers of pwCF, such as spirometry. A questionnaire on patient experiences of DCR will be provided to study participants to be filled in after imaging acquisition.

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