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Evaluation of tracheobronchial diseases: comparison of different imaging techniques
1Department of Radiology, Seoul National University College of Medicine and the Institute of Radiation Medicine, SNUMRC, Seoul, Korea. imjg@radcom.snu.ac.kr
Objective:
To compare the clinical utility of the different imaging techniques used for the evaluation of tracheobronchial diseases.
Materials And Methods:
Forty-one patients with tracheobronchial diseases [tuberculosis (n = 18), bronchogenic carcinoma (n = 10), congenital abnormality (n = 3), post-operative stenosis (n = 2), and others (n = 8)] underwent chest radiography and spiral CT. Two sets of scan data were obtained: one from routine thick-section axial images and the other from thin-section axial images. Multiplanar reconstruction (MPR) and shaded surface display (SSD) images were obtained from thin-section data. Applying a 5-point scale, two observers compared chest radiography, routine CT, thin-section spiral CT, MPR and SSD imaging with regard to the detection, localization, extent, and characterization of a lesion, information on its relationship with adjacent structures, and overall information.
Results:
SSD images were the most informative with regard to the detection (3.95+/-0.31), localization (3.95+/-0.22) and extent of a lesion (3.85+/-0.42), and overall information (3.83+/-0.44), while thin-section spiral CT scans provided most information regarding its relationship with adjacent structures (3.56+/-0.50) and characterization of the lesion (3.51+/-0.61).
Conclusion:
SSD images and thin-section spiral CT scans can provide valuable information for the evaluation of tracheobronchial disease.