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Updated: Oct 8, 2026

The Rigid Tube as an Alternative in Controlling the Problematic Airway
Published on: June 6, 2020
The relationship between tracheal width and left bronchial width: Implications for left-sided double-lumen tube
J B Brodsky1, K Malott, M Angst
1Department of Anesthesiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA. Jbrodskyleland.stanford.edu
Objective:
To determine if there is a relationship between tracheal width (TW) and left bronchial width (LBW).
Design:
Three-dimensional chest computed tomography (CT) scans were used to reconstruct major airways for measurement of TW and LBW.
Setting:
Stanford University Medical Center, Stanford, California.
Participants:
Thirty-one adult patients undergoing chest CT scans.
Interventions:
Cursors were used to directly measure internal diameter from coronal images of the trachea at midclavicular level and the left main bronchus at a level 1 cm below the carina.
Measurements And Main Results:
TW and LBW, but not the LBW-to-TW ratio, were significantly larger in men than in women. The LBW-to-TW ratio was consistent for men (0.75 +/- 0.09) and women (0.77 +/- 0.10).
Conclusions:
LBW is proportional to TW. If LBW cannot be measured directly but TW can, the ratio of LBW to TW can be used to predict LBW. An appropriate-sized left double-lumen tube can then be selected for the patient.
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