V. Callanan et al., THE USE OF MAGNETIC-RESONANCE-IMAGING TO ASSESS TRACHEAL STENOSIS FOLLOWING PERCUTANEOUS DILATATIONAL TRACHEOSTOMY, Journal of Laryngology and Otology, 111(10), 1997, pp. 953-957
The incidence of tracheal stenosis following conventional tracheostomy
has been reported as lying between one and 30 per cent. Methods used
to assess the degree of stenosis include CT scanning, fibreoptic visua
lization and plain X-ray tomographs. The aim of this study was to asse
ss the degree of stenosis in patients following percutaneous dilatatio
nal tracheostomy (PDT) using MRI scanning. This method has not been re
ported in the literature previously. Nine patients without symptoms of
tracheal stenosis were studied for at least six months following PDT
performed in the intensive therapy unit. The tracheas were assessed fo
r scarring and stenosis using a three dimensional volume scanning MRI
technique. Although scarring could be detected in the wall of the trac
hea and subcutaneous tissues of all patients, tracheal stenosis was no
t demonstrated at the insertion site or at the site of the cuff (p>0.0
5). MRI scanning provides an excellent non-invasive method of assessin
g the tracheal lumen. Our patients who had undergone PDT do not appear
to have any degree of post-operative stenosis.