Measurement of Tracheobronchial Tree Using 3D CT

Overview

Anatomical variations of right main bronchus have been discouraged anesthesiologists' use of right-sided double lumen tubes to facilitate one-lung anesthesia. However, there are absolute indications of right-sided DLTs surgically, such as left pneumonectomy or in cases with left main endobronchial lesions. With recent advances of 3-dimensional spiral CT reconstruction technique, the investigators conducted this retrospective study to measure accurate length of right and left main bronchus and the angle between the center of the right main bronchus and right upper lobe orifice in axial image to help choosing and further manufacturing right-sided double-lumen tubes.

All CT images will be reviewed using the image measurement software with a slice thickness of 1 mm. A level of -450 Hounsfield units and a width of 1000 Hounsfield units were used for bronchial window settings. The length of right and left main bronchus will be measured from the tracheal bifurcation to the point of their first branches, respectively, in both 2D- and 3D-CT images. The anteroposterior angulation of right upper lobar bronchus will be measured from the axial 2D-images by the angle between the horizontal midline of the right main bronchus and the center of the RUL orifice which indicates the origin of the RUL bronchus in which the right upper lobar bronchus shows maximal diameter.

Conditions

Eligibility