Respiratory Impedance and Obliterative Bronchiolitis (FOT-BOS)

Predictive Value of Within-breath Respiratory Input Impedance in the Early Diagnosis of Obliterative Bronchiolitis After Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation

The aim of the present study will be to test the hypothesis that changes in within-breath total respiratory input impedance (Zrs) may provide an early evidence of obliterative bronchiolitis after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Before and after HSCT, Zrs will be measured by a modified forced oscillation technique (FOT) during spontaneous breathing both at baseline and 30 min after albuterol inhalation . Such technique may be particularly sensitive to small changes in lung mechanics observed in the early stages of peripheral airflow obstruction.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation; Obliterative Bronchiolitis
• Intervention / Treatment: Drug: albuterol

Detailed Description

1.0 INTRODUCTION

• Shortly after the introduction of allogeneic HSCT in clinical practice, it was recognized that standard pulmonary function tests (PFTs) are sensitive enough to detect HSCT-related respiratory complications [PMID: 2661259; PIMD: 8823260]. Accordingly, the finding of a progressive obstructive abnormality of new onset was considered as the functional hallmark of obliterative bronchiolitis (OB) [PMID: 16338616; PMID: 19896545]. As a result, routinely performed spirometry has been proposed as a non-invasive tool to monitor the risk of OB in HSCT population [PMID: 17470622]. Yet, due to a peripheral airway involvement in OB, the sensitivity of conventional PFTs for early detection of OB is low [PMID: 2298060]. For instance, it does not exceed 75% in lung-transplanted population as the decrease of forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) may occur at a stage when the process is already irreversible and potentially life-threatening [PMID: 9246138].

2.0 EXPERIMENTAL HYPOTHESIS

• Because the branching pattern of the bronchial tree results in an increasingly large number of small airways with a luminal diameter of less than 2 mm in peripheral generations, these airways contribute little to total pulmonary resistance [PMID: 5442364; PMID: 651978]. Intuitively, a large proportion of small airways may be damaged or obliterated without impairing any of the conventional PFTs. In this regard, a previous study [PMID: 12186817] pointed out that indexes of ventilation distribution may provide an early evidence of OB after lung transplantation. In particular, some authors [PMID: 12186817] have found that tests of ventilation distribution invariably deteriorated about 1 yr before a 20% decrease in FEV1 was apparent. Previous studies [PMID: 970731; PMID: 507525] showed that total respiratory input impedance (Zrs), measured by a forced oscillation technique (FOT) during spontaneous breathing, may be particularly sensitive to small changes in lung mechanics observed in the early stages of smoking-related airflow obstruction. Subsequently, it was developed a modified FOT to identify within-breath differences in Zrs, with values of Zrs representing the sum of respiratory system resistance (Rrs) and reactance (Xrs), the latter being the imaginary part of the former [PMID: 14979497; PMID: 19164347]. This method allows the assessment of more breaths and adds a potential quantitative evaluation of instantaneous inspiratory and expiratory Rrs and Xrs before and after external interventions such as a deep inspiration, bronchodilator drugs, etc. Although these effects can be identified when within-breath analysis is performed [PMID: 14979497], most published reports of oscillatory mechanics on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) only report total respiratory cycle data [PMID: 1519830; PMID: 10489847].

3.0 STUDY RATIONALE

• The aim of the present study will be to test the hypotheses that:

  1. post-HSCT changes in within-breath Rrs and Xrs may provide an earlier evidence of OB than standard PFTs. Indeed, the obliteration of terminal bronchioles, observed in up to 48% of OB patients following HSCT [PMID: 17470622], could make the real part of Zrs abnormally high [PMID: 5653219] and ventilation more heterogeneous;
  2. post-HSCT changes of airway responsiveness to acute bronchoactive interventions such as a deep inspiration to total lung capacity and/or a bronchodilator drug (i.e., albuterol) may be detected by our modified FOT. We speculate that these changes may represent an early sign of OB. Although a previous study from our group failed to find an increase in airway responsiveness after HSCT without pulmonary complications [PMID: 18684842], we have recently shown that airway smooth muscle tone may play an active role in the airflow obstruction of OB [PMID: 20724742].

4.0 STUDY DESIGN

• Before and at regular intervals (2-4 wk onward) after HSCT, patients will attend our laboratory and perform all PFTs measurements in the same order. Firstly, the patient will breathe spontaneously through the modified FOT system for 5 min and then, without disconnecting from the apparatus, perform an inspiratory capacity maneuver and soon after resume spontaneous breathing for the next 2 min. Subsequently, spirometry, transmural total body plethysmography and CO diffusing capacity of the lung (standard PFTs) will be taken in triplicate. Thirty minutes after inhaling four separate doses of 100 μg of albuterol, the modified FOT measurements and standard PFTs will be repeated anew.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 26
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Italy
  • Genova, Italy, 16132
    • U.O. Medicina Preventiva e del Lavoro, Laboratorio di Fisiopatologia Respiratoria, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria San Martino - IST Istituto Nazionale per la Ricerca sul Cancro

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 70 years (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• consecutive, clinically-stable, outpatients undergoing allogeneic HSCT (sourcing from bone marrow) for hematological malignancies
• values of standard PFTs within normal range before HSCT
• good collaboration during the maneuvers

Exclusion Criteria:

• patients showing any spirometric and/or volumetric abnormality before HSCT
• poor collaboration and/or coordination during the maneuvers
• any clinically-significant respiratory disease (bronchial asthma, COPD, cystic fibrosis, etc.) before HSCT

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Diagnostic
• Allocation: N/A
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Intervention / Treatment

Experimental: albuterol; Twenty-six consecutive patients undergoing allogeneic HSCT for hematological malignancies were studied. All patients were in stable clinical conditions at the time of study. All patients received a myeloablative conditioning regimen either including or not including total body irradiation. Spirometry, lung volumes, FOT and lung CT scan were obtained before the start of conditioning treatment and, approximately, two months after HSCT. On each study day, all the above measurements were taken before and 30 min after inhaling four consecutive albuterol doses, of 100 mcg each, through a valved-holding chamber. DLco was measured only after bronchodilator inhalation.

Drug: albuterol; 400 mcg by inhalation; Other Names: Broncovaleas pressurized solution

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Airway Distensibility With Lung Inflation After Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT)	We studied 26 subjects, 2 weeks before and 2 months after HSCT. Within-breath respiratory system conductance (Grs) at 5, 11 and 19 Hz was measured by forced oscillation technique (FOT) at functional residual capacity (FRC) and total lung capacity (TLC)	2 weeks before and 2 months after HSCT

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Post-HSCT Changes in Lung Tissue Density	Changes in lung tissue density were measured by quantitative computed tomography(CT) scan 2 weeks before and 2 months after HSCT	Before and 2 months after HSCT

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria San Martino - IST Istituto Nazionale per la Ricerca sul Cancro, Genoa, Italy
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Giovanni Barisione, MD, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria San Martino - IST Istituto Nazionale per la Ricerca sul Cancro, Genoa, Italy

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Soubani AO, Uberti JP. Bronchiolitis obliterans following haematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Eur Respir J. 2007 May;29(5):1007-19. doi: 10.1183/09031936.00052806.
• Filipovich AH, Weisdorf D, Pavletic S, Socie G, Wingard JR, Lee SJ, Martin P, Chien J, Przepiorka D, Couriel D, Cowen EW, Dinndorf P, Farrell A, Hartzman R, Henslee-Downey J, Jacobsohn D, McDonald G, Mittleman B, Rizzo JD, Robinson M, Schubert M, Schultz K, Shulman H, Turner M, Vogelsang G, Flowers ME. National Institutes of Health consensus development project on criteria for clinical trials in chronic graft-versus-host disease: I. Diagnosis and staging working group report. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant. 2005 Dec;11(12):945-56. doi: 10.1016/j.bbmt.2005.09.004.
• Rodriguez-Roisin R, Roca J, Granena A, Agusti AG, Marin P, Rozman C. Lung function in allogeneic bone marrow transplantation recipients. Eur Respir J. 1989 Apr;2(4):359-65.
• Gore EM, Lawton CA, Ash RC, Lipchik RJ. Pulmonary function changes in long-term survivors of bone marrow transplantation. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 1996 Aug 1;36(1):67-75. doi: 10.1016/s0360-3016(96)00123-x.
• Chien JW, Duncan S, Williams KM, Pavletic SZ. Bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation-an increasingly recognized manifestation of chronic graft-versus-host disease. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant. 2010 Jan;16(1 Suppl):S106-14. doi: 10.1016/j.bbmt.2009.11.002. Epub 2009 Nov 5.
• Otulana BA, Higenbottam T, Ferrari L, Scott J, Igboaka G, Wallwork J. The use of home spirometry in detecting acute lung rejection and infection following heart-lung transplantation. Chest. 1990 Feb;97(2):353-7. doi: 10.1378/chest.97.2.353.
• Van Muylem A, Melot C, Antoine M, Knoop C, Estenne M. Role of pulmonary function in the detection of allograft dysfunction after heart-lung transplantation. Thorax. 1997 Jul;52(7):643-7. doi: 10.1136/thx.52.7.643.
• Mead J. The lung's "quiet zone". N Engl J Med. 1970 Jun 4;282(23):1318-9. doi: 10.1056/NEJM197006042822311. No abstract available.
• Cosio M, Ghezzo H, Hogg JC, Corbin R, Loveland M, Dosman J, Macklem PT. The relations between structural changes in small airways and pulmonary-function tests. N Engl J Med. 1978 Jun 8;298(23):1277-81. doi: 10.1056/NEJM197806082982303.
• Estenne M, Hertz MI. Bronchiolitis obliterans after human lung transplantation. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2002 Aug 15;166(4):440-4. doi: 10.1164/rccm.200201-003pp. No abstract available.
• Kjeldgaard JM, Hyde RW, Speers DM, Reichert WW. Frequency dependence of total respiratory resistance in early airway disease. Am Rev Respir Dis. 1976 Sep;114(3):501-8. doi: 10.1164/arrd.1976.114.3.501.
• Hayes DA, Pimmel RL, Fullton JM, Bromberg PA. Detection of respiratory mechanical dysfunction by forced random noise impedance parameters. Am Rev Respir Dis. 1979 Nov;120(5):1095-100. doi: 10.1164/arrd.1979.120.5.1095.
• Dellaca RL, Santus P, Aliverti A, Stevenson N, Centanni S, Macklem PT, Pedotti A, Calverley PM. Detection of expiratory flow limitation in COPD using the forced oscillation technique. Eur Respir J. 2004 Feb;23(2):232-40. doi: 10.1183/09031936.04.00046804.
• Dellaca RL, Pompilio PP, Walker PP, Duffy N, Pedotti A, Calverley PM. Effect of bronchodilation on expiratory flow limitation and resting lung mechanics in COPD. Eur Respir J. 2009 Jun;33(6):1329-37. doi: 10.1183/09031936.00139608. Epub 2009 Jan 22.
• Chalker RB, Celli BR, Habib RH, Jackson AC. Respiratory input impedance from 4 to 256 Hz in normals and chronic airflow obstruction: comparisons and correlations with spirometry. Am Rev Respir Dis. 1992 Sep;146(3):570-6. doi: 10.1164/ajrccm/146.3.570.
• Farre R, Peslin R, Rotger M, Barbera JA, Navajas D. Forced oscillation total respiratory resistance and spontaneous breathing lung resistance in COPD patients. Eur Respir J. 1999 Jul;14(1):172-8. doi: 10.1034/j.1399-3003.1999.14a29.x.
• Grimby G, Takishima T, Graham W, Macklem P, Mead J. Frequency dependence of flow resistance in patients with obstructive lung disease. J Clin Invest. 1968 Jun;47(6):1455-65. doi: 10.1172/JCI105837.
• Barisione G, Bacigalupo A, Crimi E, Van Lint MT, Lamparelli T, Brusasco V. Changes in lung volumes and airway responsiveness following haematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Eur Respir J. 2008 Dec;32(6):1576-82. doi: 10.1183/09031936.0139807. Epub 2008 Aug 6.
• Barisione G, Bacigalupo A, Crimi E, Brusasco V. Acute bronchodilator responsiveness in bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome following hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Chest. 2011 Mar;139(3):633-639. doi: 10.1378/chest.10-1442. Epub 2010 Aug 19.
• Barisione G, Pompilio PP, Bacigalupo A, Brusasco C, Cioe A, Dellaca RL, Lamparelli T, Garlaschi A, Pellegrino R, Brusasco V. Airway distensibility with lung inflation after allogeneic haematopoietic stem-cell transplantation. Respir Physiol Neurobiol. 2012 Oct 15;184(1):80-5. doi: 10.1016/j.resp.2012.07.021. Epub 2012 Aug 8.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: December 1, 2010
• Primary Completion (Actual): March 1, 2012
• Study Completion (Actual): June 1, 2012

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: December 6, 2010
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 6, 2010
• First Posted (Estimate): December 7, 2010

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimate): January 31, 2013
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 22, 2012
• Last Verified: December 1, 2012

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Forced oscillation technique; Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation; Respiratory input impedance; Obliterative bronchiolitis
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Infections; Respiratory Tract Infections; Respiratory Tract Diseases; Lung Diseases; Bronchial Diseases; Lung Diseases, Obstructive; Bronchitis; Bronchiolitis; Bronchiolitis Obliterans; Physiological Effects of Drugs; Adrenergic Agents; Neurotransmitter Agents; Molecular Mechanisms of Pharmacological Action; Autonomic Agents; Peripheral Nervous System Agents; Adrenergic Agonists; Bronchodilator Agents; Anti-Asthmatic Agents; Respiratory System Agents; Reproductive Control Agents; Adrenergic beta-2 Receptor Agonists; Adrenergic beta-Agonists; Tocolytic Agents; Albuterol
• Other Study ID Numbers: FOT-BOS-01