What is virtual bronchoscopy?
Virtual bronchoscopy is a process that your doctor can obtain information about the patient's respiratory tract and surrounding structures before using a bronchoscope on the patient. Using several overlays of scanning of computer tomography (CT), three -dimensional (3D) rendering of bronchial respiratory tract and lungs can show any lesions, tumors, abnormally narrow passages or any foreign bodies that could be sucked. The bronchoscopist, helping with these 3D images, can lead tools directly to the source of respiratory problems to apply treatment or biopsy tissue. In addition, if a balloon needs to be placed to expand the path or stent, accurate measurement of the diameter and length can be discovered before the procedure.
The virtual bronchoscopic procedure is non -invasive and for this reason they are often used for small children, older patients, and those whose health conditions are unstable or cannot tolerate invasive procedures. Practically Examination of Opinions can detect masses or lesions from Zof an bay or cancer. The software that is used for virtual bronchoscopy allows doctors to "travel" through the airways practically and determines whether any pockets or tumors prevent blood vessels or aorta. It is also possible to find out whether lymph nodes outside Bronchi or Hilara's lungs, on Wednesday, near the heart could be affected.
Simple bronchoscopy procedures, led by previous virtual bronchoscopy, have been used since the 90's years in very young children. Since simple X -rays of the chest often lack more than 30 percent of foreign bodies, virtual bronchoscopy can often show where a foreign body is. The outline, size and structure of a foreign body can be seen precisely; This allows careful removal planning that can shorten the necessary time and treatment. For example, a simple X -ray could miss the aspirated grain of rice, but virtual bronchoscopy can detect it gently.
sThe more bearing use of virtual bronchoscopy, such as the leadership of bronchoscopists in performing lymph node biopsy, are still in clinical trials. These nodes can be just outside the bronchial passages or in the Hilar areas in the upper lungs. During normal bronchoscopy, it is not possible to view or find lymph nodes outside the bronchial passages. However, the use of virtual bronchoscopic images overlapping real bronchoscopic images in real time allows the doctor to display the entire outline of the lymph nodes for the precise needle biopsy through the walls of the bronchial passage.