Comparison between conventional interrupted high-resolution CT and volume multidetector CT acquisition in the assessment of bronchiectasis.

The aim of this study was to determine whether there is superior diagnostic accuracy for the detection and exclusion of bronchiectasis using 16-slice CT of the chest (1 mm) compared with conventional high-resolution CT (HRCT) of the chest (10 mm). A prospective study was carried out in patients who were referred for chest CT by a chest physician for the investigation of bronchiectasis over a 1-year period. All scans were performed using a 16-slice CT scanner. In addition to contiguous 1 mm slices, conventional HRCT images (1 mm slice every 10 mm) were prepared. Both datasets were dual read. There were 53 patients with a median age of 62 years (range, 51.5-71.5 years), comprising 14 males and 39 females. 10 of 53 scans had no bronchiectasis in either dataset. 36 patients had bronchiectasis diagnosed on both HRCT and 1 mm scans. Two patients had tubular bronchiectasis on the HRCT scans, which was not confirmed on the 1 mm scans. Five patients had confirmed tubular bronchiectasis on the 1 mm scans, which was not identified on HRCT scans. 40 extra lobes demonstrated bronchiectasis on the 1 mm vs the HRCT scans; of these, half were labelled as definite bronchiectasis on the 1 mm scan. There was a 32% increased confidence with the 1 mm scans compared with conventional HRCT of the chest in the diagnosis of bronchiectasis (p < 0.001). In conclusion, there is improved diagnostic accuracy and confidence for diagnosis and exclusion of bronchiectasis using 16-slice chest CT (1 mm cuts) compared with conventional HRCT of the chest.

The value of radiographic assessment for oropharyngeal foreign bodies.

A double-blind, controlled study to assess the accuracy of interpretation of lateral soft tissue radiographs of 60 patients with suspected foreign body impaction in the oro/hypopharynx was carried out by 18 respondents from three different specialities. All the patients had endoscopy carried out and foreign bodies were present in 25. Of these, foreign bodies were diagnosed on the radiograph in only 38.3 per cent. False-positive diagnoses were made in a mean of 26.3 per cent of those patients who did not have a foreign body.

A comparison of cobalt (57Co) bleomycin scanning and contrast-enhanced CT scanning for assessment of the mediastinum in lung cancer.

Sixty patients with histologically proven lung cancer who had been accepted for mediastinoscopy or thoracotomy were prospectively entered into a study to evaluate computed tomographic (CT) scanning, 57Co-bleomycin scanning, and barium swallow in preoperative assessment of mediastinal lymph node metastasis. Fifty-six patients had thoracotomy at which all accessible lymph nodes were sampled. Twenty-four patients were found to have mediastinal tumor on histologic analysis of the resected mediastinal lymph nodes. Neither 57Co-bleomycin scanning nor barium swallow were clinically useful, with sensitivities of 21 percent and 11 percent respectively, whereas CT scanning was helpful. However, there was no clear cutoff point of node size to optimize sensitivity and specificity for CT scanning. When nodes greater than or equal to 15 mm were taken to indicate likely malignancy, the sensitivity was 58 percent and the specificity was 87 percent and when greater than or equal to 10 mm was used the sensitivity was 80 percent but the specificity was only 55 percent. There was no clear relationship between the size of the largest resected lymph node in each patient and the presence of malignant lymph nodes. Only 42 percent of patients with resected nodes greater than or equal to 2 cm had histologic evidence of metastases. We conclude that CT scanning should be used to indicate the presence and site of mediastinal lymph nodes, which, when visualized, should always be sampled and histologically examined prior to resection of primary tumor.