Comparison of Airway Measurements for Tracheobronchial Stenosis Between Stereoscopic Bronchoscope and MD-CT

Stereoscopic bronchoscopy is a new diagnostic tool to measure the diameter and cross-sectional area of the airway. The stereoscopic bronchoscope, which operates the same as a standard bronchoscope, utilizes 2 lenses to measure the airway using the principles of triangulation. Furthermore, the stereoscopic bronchoscope has the capability to measure the size of the airway during intervention in real-time, including variable stenosis.

To prospectively compare preoperative stereoscopic and multidetector computed tomography (MD-CT) images to select the appropriate stent size for airway stenosis. Stereoscopic and MD-CT images were then measured to confirm the correct placement of the stent.

Airway stenting was performed on 21 consecutive patients of whom, 15 were diagnosed with malignant and 6 with benign diseases. In total, 165 measurements were taken (134 healthy; 31 affected). For the diameter, Bland-Altman plots were used to measure data from 165 matched stereoscopic and MD-CT measurement sites (bias, 0.40±2.86 mm SD; percentage error, 33%), 134 healthy sites (bias, 0.554±2.83 mm SD; percentage error, 34%), and 31 affected sites (bias, 1.20±2.67 mm SD; percentage error, 52%). For the cross-sectional area, matched stereoscopic and MD-CT measurements were analyzed for 65 sites (bias, -10.53±92.85 mm SD; percentage error, 89%), 49 healthy sites (bias, -9.88±39.00 mm SD; percentage error, 32%), and 16 affected sites (bias, -13.12±48.81 mm SD; percentage error, 92%).

Stereoscopic bronchoscopy was able to accurately measure the size of the airway during intervention, to assist in selecting the appropriate size of the stent.