title: A new technique for the examination of tracheal tumors: the bronchoscopic turned around procedure.
abstract: Flexible bronchoscopy is useful for confirming an endotracheal tumor. However, observation of the distal end of the tumor is difficult because of the presence of the lesion itself. Here we describe a technique that we termed "bronchoscopic turned around procedure," which can be used to observe the distal extent of the lesion using an ultrathin bronchoscope. The scope is passed distal to the endotracheal tumor and is flexed upward by 180 degrees in the trachea for full visualization of the distal extent of the lesion and the airway anatomy. We found this procedure to be an effective technique to assess surgical candidates by confirming the surface structure of the tracheal lumen, which cannot be obtained by computed tomography or virtual bronchoscopy.
authors.affiliation: Division of General Thoracic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Jichi Medical University, Tochigi, Japan.
authors.forename: Shinichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.forename: Tetsuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Endo
authors.forename: Kenji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tetsuka
authors.forename: Shunsuke
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Endo