Evaluation of the anomalous retroesophageal left brachiocephalic vein in Chinese children using multidetector CT

Background  Anomalous retroesophageal left brachiocephalic vein is a very rare anomaly of the brachiocephalic vein. At the time of writing only one case had been reported worldwide. Objective  The purpose of this study was to report four cases of anomalous retroesophageal left brachiocephalic vein and to evaluate the utility of multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) for investigation of the anomaly. Materials and methods  From June 2005 to May 2008, we examined 2,146 children with congenital heart disease and 4,082 children without congenital heart disease using MDCT. The patients ranged in age from 1 day to 12 years. Maximum intensity projection reconstruction was performed to show the brachiocephalic vein. Results  A retroesophageal left brachiocephalic vein was found in 4 of the 2,146 patients (0.19%) with congenital heart disease and in 0 of the 4,082 patients without congenital heart disease. In all four patients, the condition was confirmed during surgery for the congenital heart disease. Conclusion  MDCT is a good modality for evaluating the anomalous retroesophageal left brachiocephalic vein. An anomalous retroesophageal left brachiocephalic vein was more common in patients with congenital heart disease.     

儿童气管性支气管诊断、分类和气道管理的临床研究

目的探讨儿童气管性支气管的诊断、分类和气道管理。方法对住院临床有喘息的9例患儿进行了胸部CT气道三维重建检查，其中5例进行了纤维支气管镜检查。结果胸部CT气道三维重建9例中发现7例存在气管性支气管，纤维支气管镜检查5例全部发现存在气管性支气管，包括2例胸部CT气道三维重建结果阴性的患儿。同时还发现了伴有的其他气道异常，包括气管或支气管狭窄、会厌软化和声门麻痹。结论儿童气管性支气管的发现带有偶然性，支气管镜检查是诊断的“金标准”。若同时伴有先天性心脏病，应加强监护，早期手术根治可提高存活率。在对有气管性支气管的患儿进行气管插管和单肺通气时，应加强气道管理。     

儿童气管性支气管20例临床分析

目的分析经支气管镜检查诊断的气管性支气管患儿的临床特征。方法回顾分析20例接受支气管镜检查而确诊的气管性支气管患儿的镜下结果、临床表现、治疗与转归。结果先天性气管性支气管患儿20例,右侧气管性支气管19例,移位型18例,其中6例为2种或2种以上气道异常;左侧气管性支气管1例,为移位型。20例患儿的临床症状包括持续或反复的喘息,持续性局限性肺炎、肺不张,局限性肺气肿。大部分患儿经临床对症治疗后症状缓解。结论气管性支气管异常在临床上并不少见,其临床表现为治疗反应不佳的反复喘息、肺炎、肺不张以及肺气肿等,对可疑患儿应及时进行支气管镜检查以明确诊断。     

"Porcine bronchus" diagnosed in neonatal period

“Porcine bronchus” is a right upper lobe bronchus arising directly from the trachea. This is an infrequent congenital abnormality and it usually represents the displaced origin of a normal bronchus. We herewith report a case of a child who was diagnosed to have tracheal bronchus in neonatal period and followed subsequently until 13 months of age.     

Three-Dimensional Computed Tomographic Findings of Bilateral Tracheal Bronchus

A newborn male was admitted with cyanosis and respiratory distress. Echocardiography showed a right heart isomerism associated with a single right ventricle, a double-outlet right ventricle, and pulmonary atresia. Chest X-ray demonstrated severe left upper lobe emphysema and a shift of the mediastinal structures to the right. Two-dimensional computed tomography (CT) exhibited left upper lobe emphysema and right upper lobe atelectasis. Three-dimensional (3D) spiral CT angiography showed a bilateral tracheal bronchus. The left tracheal bronchus branch was compressed between the descending aorta and the ductus arteriosus. After a right arteriopulmonary shunt operation, the patient’s respiratory condition improved dramatically, with spontaneous closure of the ductus arteriosus. Subsequently, 3D-CT clearly exhibited the disappearance of tracheal compression. This combination of bilateral tracheal bronchus and congenital heart anomaly is extremely rare. The 3D-CT is a powerful noninvasive means for dynamically demonstrating the special relationships of arterial and tracheal anomalies.     

Evaluation of obstructive airway lesions in complex congenital heart disease using composite volume-rendered images from multislice CT

Background Multislice CT (MSCT) allows high-quality volume-rendered (VR) and composite volume-rendered images. Objective To investigate the clinical usefulness of composite VR images in the evaluation of the relationship between cardiovascular structures and the airway in children with complex congenital heart disease (CHD). Materials and methods Four- or 16-slice MSCT scanning was performed consecutively in 77 children (mean age 6.4 months) with CHD and respiratory symptoms, a chest radiographic abnormality, or abnormal course of the pulmonary artery on ECHO. MSCT scanning was performed during breathing or after sedation. Contrast medium (2 ml/kg) was administered through a pedal venous route or arm vein in all patients. The VR technique was used to reconstruct the cardiovascular structures and airway, and then both VR images were composed using the commercial software (VoxelPlus²; Daejeon, Korea). Results Stenoses were seen in the trachea in 1 patient and in the bronchi in 14 patients (19%). Other patients with complex CHD did not have significant airway stenoses. Conclusions Composite VR images with MSCT can provide more exact airway images in relationship to the surrounding cardiovascular structures and thus help in optimizing management strategies in treating CHD.     

Imaging of aortopulmonary collateral arteries with high-resolution multidetector CT

Background Precise visualization of the pulmonary vasculature is mandatory for adequate treatment of patients with pulmonary atresia and ventricular septal defect (PA-VSD). Aortopulmonary collateral arteries (APCs) can be visualized by selective injections of contrast agent in the catheterization laboratory.Objective To evaluate multidetector CT (MDCT) and different image postprocessing methods for analysis of complex pulmonary blood supply in patients with PA-VSD.Materials and methods Eight patients (6 weeks to 27.8 years of age) with PA-VSD and APCs underwent MDCT and cardiac catheterization. Using multiplanar reformatting, volume rendering and semiautomatic segmentation algorithms, the aorta, pulmonary arteries and APCs were displayed. MDCT and cardiac catheterization were analyzed by two independent observers.Results MDCT accurately imaged central pulmonary arteries (n=8), aortopulmonary shunts (n=2), right ventricular to pulmonary artery conduits (n=2) and origin, course and intrapulmonary connections of APCs (n=25), compared to X-ray angiography. A high correlation was found between the MDCT vessel diameter measurements by two independent observers (n=70, r=0.96, P<0.01) and between MDCT and angiographic vessel diameter measurements (n=68, r=0.96, P<0.01).Conclusions Using three-dimensional imaging software, a complex pulmonary blood supply can be non-invasively and accurately imaged with high-resolution MDCT. This technique may help to reduce the number of cardiac catheterizations or guide interventional or surgical therapy.Electronic supplementary material Supplementary material is available for this article at     

Right aortic arch with coarctation in Chinese children

Background Because of the rarity of right aortic arch coarctation there are few reports of large groups of patients. Objective To characterize the frequency and type of right aortic arch coarctation in a large group of pediatric patients. Materials and methods From June 1997 through May 2007, 11,276 consecutive children with congenital heart disease underwent multidetector CT (MDCT), MRI or angiocardiography examination. All children with a right aortic arch or coarctation were reviewed. Results Right aortic arch coarctation was found in 11 children representing 0.1% of the total group of 11,276 children, 1.7% of 658 children with native coarctations and 2.3% of 473 children with a right aortic arch. Among the 11 patients, 6 had long-segment narrowing and 7 had an aberrant left subclavian artery. Conclusion MDCT, MRI and angiocardiography are reliable imaging techniques for the diagnosis of right aortic arch and coarctation. Our findings showed that the pattern of right aortic arch coarctation was different from that of left aortic arch coarctation, suggesting that they are different etiological entities. The pivotal role possibly played by flow dynamics in the development of right aortic arch coarctation is discussed.     

纤维支气管镜结合多层螺旋CT检查对无脾综合征伴双侧气管性支气管的评估作用

目的使用多层计算机断层扫描(MSCT)和纤维支气管镜对8例双侧气管性支气管病例进行评估。方法在接受纤维支气管镜检查的1 382例患儿中有8例诊断为双侧气管性支气管,对此8例同时进行MSCT检查。结果 7例患儿内镜及MSCT均诊断为双侧气管性支气管,另1例患儿胸部CT加三维气道重建提示右侧气管性支气管,伴右上肺不张,经支气管镜检查并清理阻塞物后提示为双侧气管性支气管。该8例儿童均诊断为无脾综合征。结论纤维支气管镜结合MSCT检查对无脾综合征合并双侧气管性支气管病变的诊断具有较好的价值,并为复杂心血管畸形纠治中的气道管理提供了保障。     

Interrupted aortic arch in a neonate: multidetector CT diagnosis

We report the usefulness of multidetector CT angiography (CTA) in the diagnosis of interrupted aorta of a neonate. CTA is useful for evaluating malformations of the aortic arch, particularly in cases that cannot undergo conventional angiography or in which detailed information cannot be provided by echocardiography.     

先天性气管支气管异常51例临床分析

目的分析经支气管镜检查诊断的先天性气管支气管异常患儿的临床特征。方法回顾分析了2003年1月至2007年11月在深圳市儿童医院接受诊断性支气管镜检查的135例患儿的结果,135例均采用异丙酚为主的静脉复合麻醉。结果共检出先天性气管支气管异常51例,检出率为37.8%(51/135),依次为气管、支气管软化32例,气管、支气管狭窄13例,气管性支气管11例,其中5例为2种或2种以上气道异常。21例患儿接受胸部CT检查,仅7例CT作出了正确诊断。对治疗反应不佳的喘息是先天性气管支气管异常最常见的症状,其他症状包括持续性局限性肺炎、肺不张或局限性肺气肿,气管插管困难,插管后拨管失败。18例(35.3%)合并其他部位畸形,分别为先天性心脏病、喉软化和气管食管瘘。结论先天性气管支气管异常在临床上并不少见,但其临床表现缺乏特异性,因此对可疑患儿应及时进行支气管镜检查以明确诊断。     

Neonatal cardiac multidetector row CT: why and how we do it

Neonatal congenital heart disease is a most difficult area of diagnostic radiology because of the small patient body size and fast resting heart rate. Recently, the spatial and temporal resolution of multidetector-row CT (MDCT) has evolved so that neonatal congenital heart disease can be precisely diagnosed. We describe the role of MDCT in neonatal congenital heart disease and offer tips for the scanning procedure to familiarize radiologists with this developing field. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Evaluation of image quality and radiation dose of thoracic and coronary dual-source CT in 110 infants with congenital heart disease

Background:  There are only a few reports on the diagnostic accuracy, and the technical and clinical feasibility, of multidetector CT (MDCT) in infants with congenital heart disease (CHD). Objective:  To evaluate the image quality and radiation dose of DSCT in babies with CHD. Materials and methods:  From November 2006 to November 2007, 110 consecutive infants with CHD referred for pre- or postoperative CT evaluation were included. All these infants had a spiral angiothoracic DSCT scan after injection of 300 mg/ml iopromide at 0.5–1 ml/s with a power injector using a low-dose protocol (80 kVp and 10 mAs/kg). Of these infants, 34 also underwent an ECG-gated coronary CT scan for evaluation of the course of the coronary arteries. Results:  No serious adverse events were recorded. The mean dose-length product was 8±6 mGy.cm (effective dose 0.5±0.2 mSv) and 21±9 mGy.cm (effective dose 1.3±0.6 mSv) during the non-ECG-gated spiral acquisition and ECG-gated acquisition, respectively. Diagnostic quality images were achieved with the spiral acquisition in 89% of cases. Compared to the spiral mode, ECG-gated acquisition significantly improved the visualization of the coronary arteries, with a diagnostic rate of 91% and 84% for the left and right coronary arteries, respectively. Conclusion:  DSCT together with iopromide at 300 mg/ml is a valuable tool for the routine clinical evaluation of infants with CHD. ECG-gated acquisition provides reliable visualization of the course of the coronary arteries.     

临床特征联合多层螺旋 CT 三维重建在儿童气管支气管 异物诊断中的价值

目的探讨临床特征联合多层螺旋CT三维重建在诊断儿童气管支气管异物中的应用价值。方法回顾2012年7月至2015年12月确诊的52例气管支气管异物患儿的资料,从临床特征和多层螺旋CT三维重建技术两方面进行分析总结。结果 52例患儿中男35例、女17例,3岁以下占82.7%。临床表现中以反复咳嗽伴喘憋为主30例,以突发刺激性呛咳为主22例;主要临床体征为双肺呼吸音不对称(43例),闻及哮鸣音(32例)、湿啰音(29例)。多层螺旋CT三维重建阳性率为100%,与手术结果一致,其中5例异物嵌顿于气管内,27例嵌顿于右支气管内,20例嵌顿于左支气管内;主要合并症有肺气肿(38例)、支气管炎和肺炎(32例)、肺不张(5例)。结论临床特征与多层螺旋CT三维重建技术相结合可为诊断儿童气管支气管异物提供确实可靠的依据。     

瑞芬太尼复合丙泊酚麻醉在小儿气管异物取出术中的应用

目的研究瑞芬太尼在小儿气管异物取出术麻醉中的临床效果及安全性。方法选择美国麻醉学会制定的I～II级标准、年龄2～4岁、行气管异物取出术小儿40例,随机分为观察组和对照组,每组20例。观察组静脉注射丙泊酚3mg/kg诱导麻醉,术中维持丙泊酚1.5mg/(kg.h)微泵注入及瑞芬太尼0.05μg/(kg.min)持续泵注。对照组静脉注射γ-羟丁酸钠90mg/kg诱导麻醉,术中麻醉深度不足时分次静注氯胺酮1.5mg/kg至麻醉满意,并根据手术需要分次追加氯胺酮1mg/kg。记录诱导前(T0),插支气管镜后(T1),拔支气管镜时(T2),清醒时(T3)各时间收缩压、舒张压、心率及动脉血氧饱和度。观察两组苏醒时间,对比两组患儿拔管后上呼吸道梗阻或屏气、苏醒期躁动、术后恶心呕吐的发生率。结果两组T1与T2时血流动力学变化比较,舒张压差异无显著性(P>0.05),其他血流动力学指标变化差异有显著性(P<0.05);观察组患儿气管异物取出术中血流动力学相对平稳,而对照组患儿血流动力学变化较大。瑞芬太尼起效迅速,恶心呕吐、苏醒期躁动、支气管痉挛和术后舌后坠的发生较对照组少,苏醒时间短,而且苏醒效果佳,与对照组相比差异有显著性(P<0.05)。结论瑞芬太尼、丙泊酚复合静脉麻醉可安全有效地用于小儿气管异物取出术,并具有血流动力学稳定、手术麻醉患儿苏醒时间短和苏醒质量高的优点。     

先天性心脏病合并气管狭窄气管支架置入后取出指征探讨

方法 比较分析CHD合并气管狭窄气管支架置入后尚留和取出病例的临床资料。结果 9例置入气管支架患儿均为重度气道狭窄,置入气管支架为乐普（北京）公司生产的血管金属支架（PARTNER),其中尚留气管支架的4例患儿,平均年龄13.75个月,平均体重8.70 kg,随访支气管镜检查均未发现肉芽组织增生,镜下气管支架支撑良好;5例患儿于气管支架置入68～96 d 后取出,平均年龄48个月,平均体重4.96 kg。气管支架取出后发现支架支撑处并未塌陷,不影响患儿通气功能,取出气管支架完整,随访10～11个月,气道未见再阻塞及其他并发症,未出现需要再次置入气管支架的情况和死亡病例。在复习文献的基础上提出气管支架取出指征：①在良好的随访体系下气管支架置入2~3个月;②经支气管镜证实无肉芽组织增生,CT及其三维气道重建显示气道通畅;③临床无呼吸困难表现及感染征象,血气分析示无肺通、换气功能异常,X线胸片正常,超声心动图检查示心脏功能正常;④支气管镜下能清楚显示气管支架边界,且整个张开的支架位于气道表面并未上皮化;⑤支气管镜下钳夹住气管支架后,轻轻上下小幅推拉,镜下证实可以松动与气道紧密粘贴的支架。结论 对于小婴儿气管支架取出从长远角度来看是最佳选择,在良好的随访体系下,在不影响患儿生命质量的前提下,CHD合并气管狭窄气管支架置入2～3个月后取出安全可行。     

儿童气管性支气管3例报道并文献复习

目的 提高对气管性支气管的认识和诊治水平.方法 对3例儿童气管性支气管的临床资料进行回顾性分析,分析其临床特征及纤维支气管镜检查在诊断和治疗方面的作用.结果 3例患儿的主要临床表现为反复发生肺炎、喘鸣和喘息,初次发病年龄均在1岁前,并均有2次以上的住院治疗经历;2例经纤维支气管镜检查直接诊断为气管性支气管,1例纤维支气管镜检查怀疑该病后经CT三维重建证实;3例气管性支气管均发生在气管右侧壁;3例患儿经过非手术治疗(药物治疗)后均好转出院.结论 气管性支气管是一种罕见的先天性气管支气管畸形,支气管镜检查有助于提高该病的检出率,可明确反复发生肺炎、喘鸣和喘息的病因,对指导临床治疗具有重要意义.     

Bridging bronchus and sling left pulmonary artery: a rare entity demonstrated by coronal CT with 3-D rendering display and minimal-intensity projections

We present a 5-month-old boy with bridging bronchus associated with a sling left pulmonary artery, both of which are rare. Coronal CT using 3-D volume rendering technique was used to delineate the abnormality and plan surgery. We propose that this technique could be used as single diagnostic tool in a child who presents, as children with this anomaly do, with chronic or recurrent lower respiratory tract infections.     

Perioperative extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for tracheal reconstruction in congenital tracheal stenosis

The management of a critical airway in infants and toddlers with congenital tracheal stenosis (CTS) continues to be an enormous challenge to the surgeon. Until recently, this condition often proved fatal. Improvements in surgical techniques, anesthetic management, and postoperative critical care have resulted in successful outcomes in children not long ago considered untreatable. However, issues such as the best operative approach and the optimal perioperative management are still unresolved. The diagnosis of CTS, often delayed, must be considered in any infant with stridor, wheezing, cyanosis, or recurrent episodes of pneumonia. Associated anomalies are the rule, including frequently vascular rings and rarely pulmonary agenesis. These defects can be repaired with conventional ventilatory support under cardiopulmonary bypass, or using extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). We report our experience in which ECMO was used to support two patients with CTS during the perioperative period. ECMO proved to be both safe and practical, allowing unrushed, precise repair of the tracheal stenosis and providing brief postoperative support. Perioperative outcomes were excellent, although one of our patients died months after the repair. A review of the literature and our experience in which ECMO was used to provide cardiopulmonary support during repair of CTS showed uniformly successful perioperative outcomes. Accepted: 3 November 1998     

Clinical of tracheal bronchus in 20 children

目的 分析经支气管镜检查诊断的气管性支气管患儿的临床特征.方法 回顾分析20例接受支气管镜检查而确诊的气管性支气管患儿的镜下结果、临床表现、治疗与转归.结果 先天性气管性支气管患儿20例,右侧气管性支气管19例,移位型18例,其中6例为2种或2种以上气道异常;左侧气管性支气管1例,为移位型.20例患儿的临床症状包括持续或反复的喘息,持续性局限性肺炎、肺不张,局限性肺气肿.大部分患儿经临床对症治疗后症状缓解.结论 气管性支气管异常在临床上并不少见,其临床表现为治疗反应不佳的反复喘息、肺炎、肺不张以及肺气肿等,对可疑患儿应及时进行支气管镜检查以明确诊断.