COMPARISON OF COMPUTERIZED-TOMOGRAPHY WITH FIBEROPTIC BRONCHOSCOPY IN IDENTIFYING ENDOBRONCHIAL ABNORMALITIES IN PATIENTS WITH KNOWN OR SUSPECTED LUNG-CANCER

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Abstract
Determining the presence and extent of endobronchial involvement is an important part of the evaluation of patients with known or suspected lung cancer. Bronchoscopy is accepted as the best technique for such an evaluation. The potential usefulness of computerized tomography (CT) for examining the airway was studied by retrospectively comparing CT scans with fiberoptic bronchoscopy findings in 53 patients with known or suspected lung cancer undergoing both tests during the same hospitalization. CT was found to be moderately accurate in predicting the presence of airway abnormalities (sensitivity from 63-85%, specificity from 61-77%) but inaccurate in defining the type of abnormality seen at bronchoscopy (localized mucosal abnormality, endobronchial mass or extrinsic compresson). CT, using standard techniques, should not be relied on for the identification of endobronchial abnormalities in patients with known or suspected lung cancer.

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