Multislice helical CT of the central airways.

Multislice helical CT has revolutionized the non-invasive evaluation of the central airways with CT. The quick speed of image acquisition afforded by MSCT improves the quality of end-inspiration images and has expanded the ability to assess the airway during dynamic exhalation. Furthermore, the improved quality of multiplanar and three-dimensional images provided by MSCT has ushered in an exciting era of alternative methods of viewing CT data that are more visually accessible and often more anatomically meaningful. At present, the author routinely obtains multiplanar reformation and three-dimensional images for assessment of a variety of central airway abnormalities, including airway stenoses and webs, complex airway diseases, extrinsic airway compression, tracheobronchomalacia, and poststent placement. Further advances in CT technology, data processing, and image display, and increased clinical experience with advanced imaging reconstruction methods, will likely further expand the role of multiplanar and three-dimensional reconstruction images in the assessment of a wide variety of central airways disorders in the near future.