EXTRINSIC AIRWAY COMPRESSION SECONDARY TO PULMONARY ARTERIAL CONDUITS- MR FINDINGS

Abnormal enlargement or malposition of any vascular structure or mass adjacent to the airway can cause extrinsic airway compression, In chil dren with previous surgery for congenital heart disease, mass effect f rom prosthetic devices or alteration in the anatomic position of norma l structures can lead to extrinsic airway compression, Because many ch ildren have complex medical problems after cardiac surgery, wheezing m ay be attributed to cardiac causes and airway way compression may not be investigated. Furthermore, the distal airway compression seen in th ese children often is not visualized on chest radiographs, MR imaging can be useful in evaluating extrinsic airway compression in these pati ents. We present the MR imaging of two patients with symptomatic extri nsic airway compression secondary to pulmonary arterial conduits.