Clinical application of multi-slice CT for congenital esophageal atresia and tracheoesophageal fistula in neonates: initial experience / 中华放射学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To assess the clinical value of MSCT in congenital esophageal atresia (EA) and tracheoesophageal fistula (TEF) of newborns. Methods Twenty neonates (17 boys and 3 girls) with a mean age of 4.6 days (1 day to 16 days) diagnosed EA and distal TEF underwent MSCT, and multiple planar volume reconstruction (MPVR) and three-dimensional transparency lung volume rendering (TL-VR) imaging were used. The initial diagnosis was made on esophagram by showing the catheter into a blind-ended esophageal pouch. The MSCT manifestations were compared with the surgical findings. Statistical analysis was performed by using SPSS 10.0. Paired-Samples t test and Pearson correlation analysis were used. Results MSCT clearly showed the distal esophageal pouches in all EA patients. The distance between the proximal and distal esophageal pouches determined by MPVR (0.15--3.10 cm, median 0.70 cm) and TL-VR (0.10--3.10 cm, median 0.82 cm) had no remarkable differences and correlated well with the surgical findings (r=0.87, P<0.01). MPVR revealed the orifice of the fistula in 13 TEF cases, while TL-VR only in 4. Conclusion MSCT is an useful and noninvasive imaging method for demonstrating congenital EA and distal TEF, and is highly valuable for surgical planning.