Value of Multi-slice Spiral CT 3D Reconstruction in Diagnosis of Pediatric Tracheobronchial Foreign Body

Objective To explore the value of multi-slice CT(MSCT)3D reconstruction technique in the diagnosis of pediatric tracheobronchial foreign body.Methods A retrospective analysis was made of 56 cases with foreign body aspiration which were confirmed by conventional bronchoscopy in our hospital between Jan.2008 and May 2010.All cases had received 16-slice spiral CT examination,and various post-processing 3D reconstruction images were obtained and compared.Results Good image quality was obtained in all 56 cases.The locations of foreign body were as follows: 5 cases in the trachea,31 cases in the right bronchia and 20 cases in the left bronchus.Complications were found in some cases,among which,there were 41 cases of emphysema,10 cases of atelectasis and 19 cases of obstructive pneumonia.During the operations,the foreign bodies were moved in 4 cases and were expectorated in 3 cases.The location,shape and size of the foreign bodies as well as the relationship between foreign bodies and bronchial wall could be clearly showed by MSCT with post-processing reconstruction.Conclusion MSCT and its post-processing reconstruction is a significant noninvasive and fast radiological technique with an accurate location that can be used easily to detect the tracheobronchial foreign body in children as well as to evaluate bronchial stenosis.