Acta radiologica
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Comparative Study
Comparison of virtual bronchoscopy with fiberoptic bronchoscopy findings in patients exposed to sulfur mustard gas.
Fiberoptic bronchoscopy (FB) is the best modality for evaluation of tracheobronchial endoluminal lesions. Virtual bronchoscopy (VB) with the aid of computed tomography (CT) makes it possible to reconstruct endoscopic-like visualization of major airways. Sulfur mustard (SM) used during the Iraq-Iran war affects respiratory tracts and can lead to tracheobronchial stenosis. ⋯ Our study indicates that VB is an accurate method for evaluating stenoses, endoluminal nodules, and poststenotic areas within the tracheobronchial tree of SM-exposed victims. This complementary method could be helpful in revealing hidden post-stenotic lesions and also better depict the long tracheal strictures and their actual length.
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Q-space analysis is a new metric that uses multiple, high b-value, diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance (MR) data. This technique shows promising results as a tool to provide information complementary to that of other imaging techniques used on biological tissue in vivo. ⋯ The heterogeneous MDP values were probably due to differences in tissues and pathologic structures. This technique has potential to provide additional clinical information to that obtained with conventional MR imaging.