Preoperative airway evaluation using multi-slice three-dimensional computed tomography for a patient with severe tracheal stenosis.
A 71-yr-old female with a malignant thyroid tumour was to undergo thyroidectomy under general anaesthesia. Preoperative chest x-ray and plain computed tomography (CT) showed severe tracheal stenosis. Three-dimensional figures of the trachea and a virtual bronchoscopic movie were obtained from multi-slice CT to evaluate the stenotic region and to simulate fibroscopic tracheal intubation, respectively. After induction of general anaesthesia with propofol, a tracheal tube was successfully passed through the stenotic region under the guide of a fibroscope as simulated in the virtual movie. We conclude that multi-slice CT is useful for preoperative airway evaluation for patients with stenosis and distortion of the trachea.
Department of Anaesthesia, Tottori Prefectural Central Hospital, 730 Ezu, Tottori City, 680-0901, Japan. toyokou@smn.enjoy.ne.jp
K
K
Toyota
H
H
Uchida
H
H
Ozasa
A
A
Motooka
S
S
Sakura
Y
Y
Saito
D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional / Q000379:methods; D007442:Intubation, Intratracheal / Q000379:methods*; D011300:Preoperative Care / Q000379:methods*; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000601:surgery; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods; D014135:Tracheal Stenosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000209:etiology