Virtual bronchoscopy

Clin Chest Med. 1999 Dec;20(4):725-30, vii-viii. doi: 10.1016/s0272-5231(05)70251-3.

Abstract

The sophistication of three-dimensional (3-D) radiographic imaging from CT data has accelerated with the development and ongoing advances of helical CT. Virtual bronchoscopy (VB), the ability to create 3-D models of the airways and navigate through the tracheobronchial tree lumen in realtime simulated bronchoscopy, has gained popularity over the past 3 years. The ability of VB to image the airway and mediastinal structures simultaneously and in a 3-D format has helped revolutionize CT imaging. Unlike conventional bronchoscopy, VB can display the extent of narrowing caused by an airway lesion, the presence of patentcy beyond a stenosis, and the relationship between an airway lesion and the adjacent mediastinal structures.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Bronchi / pathology
  • Bronchoscopy*
  • Humans
  • Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / instrumentation*
  • Lung / pathology
  • Lung Neoplasms / diagnosis*
  • Lung Neoplasms / pathology
  • Sensitivity and Specificity
  • Tomography, X-Ray Computed / instrumentation*
  • User-Computer Interface*