Spiral CT: use in the evaluation of chest masses in the critically ill neonate

The radiologic evaluation of neonatal chest masses may be carried out with a number of different imaging modalities, each with distinct advantages and disadvantages. While it is necessary clinically to rapidly and accurately diagnose these lesions, this may be difficult when the neonate is critically ill. We report the use of spiral (helical) CT (SCT) scanning with reconstructed images to diagnose chest masses in two critically ill neonates undergoing oscillating ventilation. We describe the technique used to image the masses and compare this technique with other available imaging modalities.