Thorax
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The lung clearance index (LCI) is a promising endpoint for use in cystic fibrosis (CF) clinical trials, but correlations with validated clinical endpoints have not yet been established. ⋯ Baseline LCI predicts PE in young patients with CF and correlates with CFQ-Rresp, a validated patient-reported outcome, even in the subgroup with normal FEV1. These data further support the use of LCI as a surrogate outcome measure in CF clinical trials.
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Hyperpolarised (3)He MRI provides a way to visualise regional pulmonary functional abnormalities that in asthma are thought to be related to airway morphological abnormalities. However, the exact aetiology of ventilation defects in asthma is not well understood. ⋯ Subjects with asthma with (3)He ventilation defects were older with significantly worse airway hyper-responsiveness, inflammation and airway remodelling but similar FEV1 as subjects with asthma without defects; hyperpolarised (3)He ventilation abnormalities were spatially and quantitatively related to abnormally remodelled airways.