[Virtual multislice-CT-bronchoscopy as a diagnostic tool in patients with endobronchial tumors: case report of a carcinoid tumor]

Bronchial carcinoids are rare neuroendocrine tumors of the lung. Diagnosis is established by computed tomography (CT) and bronchoscopy-guided biopsy. Imaging features of carcinoids are highly characteristic including contrast enhancement and central intraluminal growth. Multislice-CT generated three-dimensional virtual bronchoscopy enables non-invasive and detailed view of the tracheobronchial system.A 70-year-old male with known silicosis and chronic cough with hemoptysis showed hypertransparency of the left lung on conventional images. Axial CT scans revealed a solid tumor in the left lower lobe. Virtual CT-bronchoscopy based on surface rendering depicted an intraluminal mass occluding the bronchus of the anterobasal segment that was confirmed by conventional endoscopy. Conventional and virtual bronchoscopy showed almost identical imaging features. Histopathological evaluation of the bioptic specimen revealed a typical carcinoid tumor. The patient successfully underwent resection of the left lower lobe with mediastinal lymphadenectomy.Virtual Multislice-CT-bronchoscopy can add important information about an intraluminal tumor and its relation to surrounding structures. Further studies have to be undertaken to evaluate the potentials of this promising method as a tool to determine endoluminal growth in tumorous lung lesions.