[CT guided selective pneumomediastinography in thoracic imaging]

We established new approaches for CT guided selective pneumomediastinography; paravertebral, pretracheal and anterior mediastinal approaches. CT would seem to be useful method for assessing the invasion to the neighboring structures in the thoracic neoplasms. But scanty fat in mediastinum often interferes with correct evaluation of mediastinal structures in conventional CT. Pneumomediastinal CT with our methods overcomes the weak point and provides additional information to enable exact diagnosis. The feasibility and security of these methods were confirmed through applying to many cases. Based upon these results, selective pneumomediastinal CT would be considered to be advantageous and advisable on the CT diagnosis in thoracic imaging.