测量肺的血流模式的差异可能帮助科学家发现哪些吸烟者最有可能出现肺气肿，而且可能为面临风险的人提供更早的预警。
Eric Hoffman及其同事用CT（CAT）扫描成像技术研究了吸烟者和不吸烟者的肺，显示出了两组受试者肺的不同区域的血流模式的差异。这组作者发现，吸入烟草的烟会让肺的一些部分发炎并改变吸烟者的肺试图最大限度地吸收氧气的时候的肺血流。发炎的肺组织中的低血流区域可能促进组织破坏并抑制肺组织的修复，最终形成了肺气肿的特征症状。
在扫描了41人之后，这组科学家能够分辨出从不吸烟的人、吸烟但是没有肺气肿迹象的人、以及那些肺功能正常但是有早期细微的肺气肿迹象的人。后一组吸烟者的肺血流模式受到的扰乱最大。这组科学家提出，他们的结果可能帮助提供对肺气肿的风险和范围的测量，而且可能帮助有针对性地进行和测试药物干预手段。
生物谷推荐原文：
PNAS doi: 10.1073/pnas.0913880107
Heterogeneity of pulmonary perfusion as a mechanistic image-based phenotype in emphysema susceptible smokers
Sara K. Alforda,b, Edwin J. R. van Beeka,b,c, Geoffrey McLennana,b,c, and Eric A. Hoffmana,b,c,1
Recent evidence suggests that endothelial dysfunction and pathology of pulmonary vascular responses may serve as a precursor to smoking-associated emphysema. Although it is known that emphysematous destruction leads to vasculature changes, less is known about early regional vascular dysfunction which may contribute to and precede emphysematous changes. We sought to test the hypothesis, via multidetector row CT (MDCT) perfusion imaging, that smokers showing early signs of emphysema susceptibility have a greater heterogeneity in regional perfusion parameters than emphysema-free smokers and persons who had never smoked (NS). Assuming that all smokers have a consistent inflammatory response, increased perfusion heterogeneity in emphysema-susceptible smokers would be consistent with the notion that these subjects may have the inability to block hypoxic vasoconstriction in patchy, small regions of inflammation. Dynamic ECG-gated MDCT perfusion scans with a central bolus injection of contrast were acquired in 17 NS, 12 smokers with normal CT imaging studies (SNI), and 12 smokers with subtle CT findings of centrilobular emphysema (SCE). All subjects had normal spirometry. Quantitative image analysis determined regional perfusion parameters, pulmonary blood flow (PBF), and mean transit time (MTT). Mean and coefficient of variation were calculated, and statistical differences were assessed with one-way ANOVA. MDCT-based MTT and PBF measurements demonstrate globally increased heterogeneity in SCE subjects compared with NS and SNI subjects but demonstrate similarity between NS and SNI subjects. These findings demonstrate a functional lung-imaging measure that provides a more mechanistically oriented phenotype that differentiates smokers with and without evidence of emphysema susceptibility.
