Dynamic and Quantitative Assessment of Tracheomalacia by Electron Beam Tomography: Correlation with Clinical Symptoms and Bronchoscopy

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Abstract
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the performance of electron beam tomography (EBT) in the dynamic and quantitative assessment of tracheal collapse in tracheomalacia. Eight patients with suspected tracheomalacia were evaluated by EBT, and the results were correlated with both clinical symptoms and bronchoscopy. To validate this technique, an EBT phantom study preceded the patients' examination. A dynamic imaging sequence consisting of 20 50-ms scans obtained at 0.5 s intervals during a 10 s period was performed while the patient followed an instructed breathing maneuver. Good correlation between EBT data and clinical symptoms was found in all patients. In comparison to bronchoscopic findings, EBT results correlated well in three, showed limited correlation in three patients, and no correlation in one case. EBT with its short scanning time may be regarded as an accurate noninvasive method to dynamically evaluate tracheomalacia.