Suitability of òhe modality virtual bronchoscopy with aspiration of a foreign body

Abstract

Aspirations of foreign bodies are life-threatening among children and elderly patients requiring urgent medical assistance. The aim of the study is to present summarized results from various authors' studies to reveal VB's diagnostic abilities for suspected aspiration of a foreign body. VB has been shown to be a particularly useful non-invasive modality for the complex tracheobronchial tree assessment for suspected aspiration of a foreign body due to its high sensitivity, specificity and validity. MDCT VB with MPR allows accurate localization of the foreign body, but in secondary inflammatory changes and secretions it does not provide accurate information about the form and type of the finding. VB cannot replace FB ("gold standard") but successfully supports and complements it. MDCT could provide early diagnosis in cases of suspected aspiration of a foreign body in children and adults and avoid real bronchoscopy in patients with poor overall condition.

Keywords

• Foreign body
• Multidetector computed tomography
• Virtual bronchoscopy