Paratracheal air cysts: prevalence and relevance to pulmonary emphysema and bronchiectasis using thoracic multidetector CT

Abstract

The purpose of our study was to evaluate the prevalence and characteristics of PTACs, as well as their relationship with bronchiectasis and emphysema, on thorax CT scans. MethodsPatients and study design Between January 2012 and July 2013, the presence of PTACs was retrospectively evaluated in 1100 consecutive patients who underwent routine thorax multidetector CT for a variety of reasons. Patients with mediastinal injuries (n=73) were excluded from the study leaving a total of 1027 for evaluation (563 males and 464 females; median age, 47