title: CT diagnosis of complete tracheal rings in an adult.
abstract: We report a case of complete tracheal rings diagnosed by computed tomography (CT) in a 34-year-old woman with history of congenital heart disease who presented with long-standing shortness of breath and chest tightness. CT of the trachea revealed concentric narrowing of the distal trachea, with an "O"-shaped lumen and absence of wall thickening. Virtual endoscopic CT images showed concentric rings at the site of stenosis, consistent with complete tracheal rings, which were confirmed by conventional bronchoscopy. To our knowledge, the CT findings of this condition have not been previously described. CT with 3-dimensional reconstructions has the potential to noninvasively aid in the diagnosis and monitoring of patients with this condition.
authors.affiliation: Center for Airway Imaging, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA. pboisell@bidmc.harvard.edu
authors.forename: Phillip M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Boiselle
authors.forename: Armin
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ernst
authors.forename: Malcolm M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: DeCamp
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001999:Bronchoscopy; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004417:Dyspnea / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006345:Heart Septal Defects, Ventricular / Q000150:complications; D006801:Humans; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional / Q000379:methods; D035583:Rare Diseases; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods*; D014132:Trachea / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D014135:Tracheal Stenosis / Q000150:complications / Q000151:congenital / Q000175:diagnosis*