High-resolution CT of the lungs in infants and young children

The effects of respiratory motion and imaging at low tidal volumes can easily obscure normal anatomy as well as pathology on high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) images of the lungs in infants and young children. The benefits of motion-free HRCT in children at full inflation and end exhalation compared with HRCT during quiet breathing has remained largely unexplored. The authors describe the application and benefits of a physiologic, noninvasive technique called controlled-ventilation to obtain high-quality HRCT images of the lungs, similar to those obtained in adults, in uncooperative young children. The availability of this method should result in greater application of HRCT as a clinical and research tool in the evaluation of childhood respiratory disease.