The aim of this study was to assess the imaging findings in adult patients with tracheobronchial foreign body aspiration. Nineteen patients (11 men and 8 women; age range 26-89 years) with foreign-body aspiration were retrospectively reviewed. Nine patients were outpatients with non-specific symptoms and ten were hospitalized with nonresolving pneumonia (n = 6), after detection of a dental fragment on a chest radiograph following intubation (n = 3), and there was one mentally retarded patient with empyema. An aspirated dental fragment was seen on a chest radiograph in 3 patients and an endobronchial foreign body on CT in 16, appearing as a dense structure within the bronchial lumen. The foreign body was right sided in 14 cases and left sided in 5. Three cases were missed at first interpretation. Associated findings on CT were volume loss, hyperlucency with air trapping and bronchiectasis in the affected lobe. Thirteen patients were managed with bronchoscopy, whereas 2 needed thoracotomy. In 1 patient bronchoscopy failed to detect a foreign body, indicating a false-positive CT diagnosis. One patient expelled an aspirated tablet and two refused invasive procedure. The foreign bodies found mainly were bones and dental fragments. A high clinical suspicion is necessary to diagnose a foreign body. Since CT is often used to evaluate various respiratory problems in adults, it may be the first imaging modality to discover an unsuspected aspirated foreign body in the bronchial tree.

Double-helix CT is a useful noninvasive method for detection and quantification of coronary artery calcification.

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The term congenital pulmonary venolobar syndrome refers to a wide spectrum of pulmonary developmental anomalies that may appear singly or in combination. The main components of congenital pulmonary venolobar syndrome are hypogenetic lung (including lobar agenesis, aplasia, or hypoplasia), partial anomalous pulmonary venous return, absence of pulmonary artery, pulmonary sequestration, systemic arterialization of lung, absence of inferior vena cava, and accessory diaphragm. The recent introduction of multisection helical computed tomography (CT), combined with use of advanced postprocessing graphic workstations, allows improved noninvasive delineation of complex congenital anomalies. A single fast (5-15-second) CT scan now enables the radiologist to (a) generate angiogram-like images of the anomalous pulmonary arteries and veins; (b) demonstrate tracheobronchial abnormalities by generating simulated bronchographic or bronchoscopic images; and (c) depict associated parenchymal abnormalities on axial, coronal, or sagittal images, which once represented an important advantage of magnetic resonance imaging over CT. Multisection helical CT is a helpful diagnostic tool in the preoperative evaluation of patients with suspected congenital pulmonary venolobar syndrome.