Bronchiectasis Radiologically Indexed CT Score

Last revised by Yuranga Weerakkody on 26 Mar 2023

The Bronchiectasis Radiologically Indexed CT Score (BRICS) is a severity assessment score for bronchiectasis, developed from a cohort of patients with idiopathic and postinfectious bronchiectasis, and was developed by combining the parameters of bronchial dilatation and number of bronchopulmonary segments affected by emphysema

Score

The score was validated with, and intended for, high-resolution CT (HRCT) of the chest.

  • bronchial dilatation
    • absent = 0
    • mild (lumen just > diameter of adjacent vessel) = 1
    • moderate (lumen 2-3 times > diameter of adjacent vessel) =  2
    • severe (lumen >3 times diameter of adjacent vessel) = 3
  • number of bronchopulmonary segments with emphysema
    • none = 0
    • 1-5 = 1
    • >5 = 2

The score ranges from 0 to 5, with 1 indicating mild disease, 2-3 indicating moderate disease and 4-5 indicating severe disease.

History and etymology

The Bronchiectasis Radiologically Indexed CT Score was jointly devised by thoracic radiologists and chest physicians in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was then externally validated in six centers in UK and Europe, and finally published in 2018 2

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