Patient Characteristics and Tracheobronchial Anatomy

The clinical use of double lumen tubes and bronchial blockers requires a thorough knowledge of the tracheobronchial anatomy in order to establish the best choice for the patient. The literature is limited regarding major bronchi dimensions. In addition, the measurement method is not always adequate or properly described and some publications have evaluated only the left bronchial diameter. Computed tomography with 3D reconstruction, technical reference, has been little used. The project is to conduct a prospective study to compare patient characteristics (age, height, weight, gender, smoking, sign of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (if available), and dimensions of the trachea and of the main bronchi from CT scans with 3D reconstruction.