Virtual computed tomographic bronchoscopy: normal bronchial anatomy in six dogs

ABSTRACT

The aim of this study was to examine normal bronchi in dogs by using virtual bronchoscopy (VB) and to evaluate the utility of VB in clinical practice. The bronchi of six dogs without tracheobronchial disease were visualized by VB. Airways from the tracheal bifurcation to the lobar bronchi were well visualized in all dogs. Segmental and subsegmental bronchi were also well identified, but the degree and number of those varied with dog size. The mean numbers of segmental and subsegmental bronchi identified in the six dogs were 41.83 and 50.17, respectively, whereas, the mean numbers in medium- and large-sized dogs were 55.00 and 82.67, respectively, and in small-sized dogs, the means were 28.67 and 17.67, respectively. Although there were size-dependent differences in VB visualization of the bronchi, it was possible to identify peripheral airways to the subsegmental bronchi level, which can rarely be accomplished via conventional bronchoscopy. VB is the noninvasive method that can be used to examine bronchial anatomy, and our results suggest that VB can be useful for evaluating bronchi, including segmental and subsegmental ones that cannot be examined routinely by conventional bronchoscopy. Thus, VB has potential as an alternative to conventional bronchoscopy in the examination of bronchi in dogs.