MR-IMAGING OF THE PEDIATRIC AIRWAY

The mainstays of initial evaluation of the airway in infants and child ren are chest radiography and esophagography. Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging is frequently used next to diagnose specific abnormalities and obviates angiocardiography, MR imaging usually allows distinction bet ween a double aortic arch and a right aortic arch with an aberrant lef t subclavian artery, In cases of pulmonary artery sling, MR imaging en ables full evaluation of the vascular anatomy and may also demonstrate the tracheobronchial anomalies, MR imaging may aid in diagnosis of in nominate artery compression syndrome by demonstrating the extent of th e tracheal luminal narrowing, the tracheal configuration, the structur e causing the compression, and the size of the thymus, Finally, MR ima ging usually allows distinction of long-segment tracheal stenosis from tracheomalacia and is especially helpful in cases of isolated stenosi s, Three-dimensional reconstructions are also useful in assessing rela tionships between vascular structures and the adjacent trachea.