Abstract:

BACKGROUND: As a kind of invasive examinations, conventional endoscopy is difficult to be accepted by patients because it not only can cause some damage to patients but also has some risks. CT virtual endoscope technique, as a new examination method, has been widely used in clinic due to the advantages of non-invasive, painless, and security.
OBJECTIVE: To summarize the research progress of CT virtual endoscope on the clinical application of chest airway, blood vessel, and esophageal diseases.
METHODS: A computer-based search of China Journal Full-text Database and Pubmed was performed for related articles published from January 2000 to December 2010 with the key words of “Virtual Endoscope, airway, blood vessel, esophagus” in Chinese and English. Repetitive articles with poor quality were excluded. Finally, 42 literatures were included.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The examination of CT virtual endoscope combined with three-dimensional reconstruction technology provides accurate image information for clinical diagnosis. Although there are some limitations, the examination has still important clinical value on the noninvasive diagnosis and preoperative assessment. With the development of CT virtual endoscopy technique, it will have a broad prospect in the clinical application.