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Vascular rings and their effect on tracheal geometry
J T Fleenor1, P M Weinberg, S S Kramer
1Department of Pediatrics, Division of Cardiology, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
Pediatric Cardiology
|November 25, 2003
Summary
Children with vascular rings often have tracheal compression causing breathing issues. This study found symptomatic children have significantly altered tracheal geometry compared to asymptomatic ones, identified via MRI.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Cardiology
- Thoracic Surgery
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- Vascular rings in children commonly cause tracheal compression.
- Clinical presentation includes stridor, noisy breathing, and wheezing.
Purpose of the Study:
- To test the hypothesis that symptomatic patients with vascular rings have altered tracheal geometry compared to asymptomatic individuals.
- To evaluate tracheal dimensions using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
Main Methods:
- Retrospective review of 49 patients evaluated for vascular rings.
- Assessment of tracheal dimensions (area, longest/shortest diameters) from lung cupola to carina via MRI.
- Calculation of % of maximum dimension and coefficient of variation (CoVar) for each parameter.
Main Results:
- Symptomatic patients exhibited significantly smaller % of maximum dimensions (e.g., area 48.6% vs. 62.1%) compared to asymptomatic patients.
- Symptomatic patients showed a significantly greater CoVar (e.g., area 0.26 vs. 0.18) for all measured tracheal parameters.
- Significant differences in tracheal geometry were observed across all assessed parameters between symptomatic and asymptomatic groups.
Conclusions:
- Symptomatic patients with vascular rings have significantly altered tracheal geometry compared to their asymptomatic counterparts.
- MRI is a valuable tool for visualizing both cardiovascular and tracheal anatomy in vascular ring patients.
- Findings provide useful information for managing and caring for children with vascular rings.
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