Medical Imaging of the Airway

Abstract

Non-invasive imaging techniques such as ultrasonography, x-ray, computerized tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) provide details about airway anatomy that complement the physical examination. They are of particular value in patients with traumatic injury, malignancy, abscess, foreign body or mass in the airway that displace, distort, disrupt, encroach or compress airway structures in ways that may not be readily apparent otherwise. Many anesthesiologists do not receive formal training in interpreting medical imaging, and a thorough discussion of this subject is beyond the scope of this review. Interpreting the subtleties of normal and abnormal anatomy require years of experience and best left to expert radiologists. The goal here is to introduce the imaging techniques available and examples of clinical applications in airway evaluation of interest to the anesthesiologist. This review contains 12 figures, 2 tables, and 37 references. Keywords: piezoelectric effect, photoelectric interaction, Faraday’s law, pneumothorax, cervical spine injury, LeFort fracture, foreign body, airway infection, mediastinal mass