Integrated system for CT-based assessment of parenchymal lung disease

High-resolution X-ray CT imaging can provide detailed structural and functional information about the respiratory system. We describe a system to facilitate quantitative regional assessment of the lung parenchyma from volumetric CT images. The system contains image segmentation algorithms to identify the key anatomic structures of the lung and image analysis algorithms to examine the lung parenchymal tissue. The system can be used to study the normal lung and to detect changes in the lung tissue due to disease processes such as emphysema.