Tracheobronchial foreign body aspiration in infants & children: Diagnostic utility of multidetector CT with emphasis on virtual bronchoscopy

Aim: To evaluate the efficacy of multidetector CT (MDCT) and its post-processing techniques including virtual bronchoscopy in evaluation of tracheobronchial foreign body inhalation in infants and children. Patients and methods: During the period from March 2011 to October 2013, 21 consecutive patients (8 females, 13 males, age range from 18 month to 7 years) were referred to the radiology department for CT evaluation for suspected FB inhalation. CT was done on a 16-slice scanner. No IV contrast was used. MDCT findings were compared with the results of rigid bronchoscopy. Results: MDCT detected FB in 17 patients, two cases had true −ve results, one case had false +ve and one case had false −ve results compared with conventional bronchoscopy. MDCT revealed hyper-aeration of the ipsilateral lung in 42.9 % patients, atelectasis in 57.1%, pneumonic consolidation in 71.4%. According to bronchoscopy, foreign body was identified and extracted in 18 patients. The right main bronchus, left main bronchus and trachea were the commonest sites. Conclusion: Multidetector CT with the aid of virtual bronchoscopy is a reliable noninvasive method that allows detection and localization of tracheobronchial FB