Dynamic and quantitative assessment of tracheomalacia by electron beam tomography: correlation with clinical symptoms and bronchoscopy.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the performance of electron beam tomography (EBT) in the dynamic and quantitative assessment of tracheal collapse in tracheomalacia.


METHODS
Eight patients with suspected tracheomalacia were evaluated by EBT, and the results were correlated with both clinical symptoms and bronchoscopy. To validate this technique, an EBT phantom study preceded the patients' examination. A dynamic imaging sequence consisting of 20 50-ms scans obtained at 0.5 s intervals during a 10 s period was performed while the patient followed an instructed breathing maneuver.


RESULTS
Good correlation between EBT data and clinical symptoms was found in all patients. In comparison to bronchoscopic findings, EBT results correlated well in three, showed limited correlation in three patients, and no correlation in one case.


CONCLUSIONS
EBT with its short scanning time may be regarded as an accurate noninvasive method to dynamically evaluate tracheomalacia.
Hein
E
E
Department of Radiology, Charité Hospital, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Germany.
Rogalla
P
P
Hentschel
C
C
Taupitz
M
M
Hamm
B
B
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001999:Bronchoscopy; D003371:Cough / Q000175:diagnosis; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods; D008173:Lung Diseases, Obstructive / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019047:Phantoms, Imaging; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012120:Respiration Disorders / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014135:Tracheal Stenosis / Q000175:diagnosis*