Introduction: Diagnosis of airway disease, airway patency, lesion
length and cross-sectional area are important aspects of the management
qf airway disease, usually requiring invasive endoscopy, which is .not
without risk to the patient. Conventional endoscopy is considered the gold
standard for the evaluation of stridor and airway obstruction. This study
was undertaken to determine whether helical CT scan with 2-D and 3-D
reconstructions could accurately represent airway anatomy and reproduce
the findings obtained during conventional endoscopy of patients presenting
with airway obstruction.
Objectives: To study the use of helical computed tomography 2-D and
3-D images in the evaluation of airway disease in neonates, infants and
children and its value in lesion detection, characterization and extension.
Findings are compared with conventional endoscopy, considered as standard
of reference.
Material and Methods: 40 patients with various causes of airway obstruction
were examined by helical CT scan. 2-D and 3-D reconstructions
were done. The cause and level of obstruction were identified and compared
with actual endoscopic findings. This included 11 cases with choanal
atresia/ stenosis, ii subglottic stenosis, 1 subglottic foreign body. |
