Measuring airway dimensions during bronchoscopy using anatomical optical coherence tomography.

Area of Science:

• Pulmonary medicine
• Medical imaging
• Respiratory system anatomy

Background:

• Bronchoscopic quantification of airway dimensions is limited by optical distortion and depth perception.
• Novel imaging techniques are needed to overcome these limitations for accurate airway assessment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the accuracy and reliability of anatomical optical coherence tomography (aOCT) for measuring airway dimensions.
• To compare aOCT measurements with existing techniques in phantom, animal, and human subjects.

Main Methods:

• Comparative accuracy studies were performed using plastic tubes, excised pig airways, and in vivo human airways.
• aOCT measurements were compared against micrometer-derived areas, endoscopic compliance curves, and computed tomography (CT) scans.
• Airway dimensions were assessed from the trachea to subsegmental bronchi in anesthetized patients.

Main Results:

• aOCT demonstrated accurate and reliable measurements in plastic tubes.
• aOCT-derived airway compliance curves closely matched endoscopic data in pig airways.
• Human airway dimensions measured by aOCT correlated well with CT scans, with aOCT showing slightly larger diameter (7.6%) and area (15.1%) measurements.

Conclusions:

• Anatomical optical coherence tomography (aOCT) provides accurate and reliable airway measurements.
• aOCT compares favorably with established imaging modalities like CT and endoscopic techniques.
• aOCT integrated with conventional bronchoscopy enables real-time airway caliber assessment, offering clinical utility.