Ultrasound as a bedside tool for diagnosis of post-intubation tracheal stenosis

Abstract

Screening of post-intubation stenosis can allow early diagnosis, early management of stenosis, and possible prevention of progress. Fiberoptic bronchoscope is the gold standard for diagnosis of tracheal stenosis. Other imaging modalities as computed tomography can be considered but are not available in intensive care unit. To evaluate the validity of ultrasound (US) as a bedside test for early diagnosis of post-intubation stenosis compared to multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) and fiberoptic bronchoscope (FOB). Out of the 50 included patients, 12 patients were found to have definite stenosis by FOB. Compared to CT, significant positive correlation was found between all ultrasound parameters (laryngeal width, tracheal diameter) and corresponding CT parameters (r = 0.798, p < 0.001; r = 0.714, p < 0.001 respectively). Compared to FOB results, the yield of MDCT chest for diagnosis of stenosis had 91.6% sensitivity and 100% specificity, while the yield of US detected by mucosal irregularity as a diagnostic tool for tracheal stenosis had comparable sensitivity (91.6%) but lower specificity (88.9%). Due to its high sensitivity, US could help in detection of possible post-intubation laryngotracheal stenosis in critically ill MV patients.