Central @entity4595 in XXXX : comparative evaluation of computed tomography of the thorax with bronchography.

@entity1 @entity565 @entity5929 @entity4595
Demonstration of central @entity4595 (CB) with normal peripheral bronchi is an essential requirement for the diagnosis of @entity5929 ( @entity5929 ). Although the results of bronchography remain the gold standard for demonstration of central @entity4595 they are not always diagnostic. Moreover, it is an unpleasant invasive procedure which may be difficult to perform in a @entity1 of @entity5929 with acute severe @entity565 . In an attempt to find a safe and effective alternative to demonstrate central @entity4595 computed tomography (CT) of the thorax was evaluated against bronchography. Twenty one @entity1 with @entity5929 underwent computed tomography of the thorax followed by bronchography. Of the 378 bronchopulmonary segments available for analysis, 42 had to be excluded because of consolidation or non-filling of the contrast dye, leaving 336 segments for evaluation. CB was identified on CT in all 21 @entity1 . Detailed analysis of the visualized segments revealed that computed tomography (using 8 mm contiguous scans) identified 146 of the 212 segments showing central @entity4595 on bronchography (sensitivity 70%) and 114 of the 124, read as normal on bronchography (specificity 92%). Supplemental 4 mm scans, used in 8 out of 21 @entity1 improved the overall sensitivity of computed tomography to 83%, whilst the specificity remained unchanged at 92%. Thus, computed tomography of the thorax, being more acceptable to the @entity1 , has the potential of being the investigation of choice for the demonstration of central @entity4595 in @entity1 with @entity5929 .
