The predictive role of dual source CT for esophageal foreign bodies.

Introduction: Esophageal foreign bodies can be a danger to a patient's life. Flexible or rigid endoscopy is a commonly used type of invasive investigation for these, and radiological examinations are also useful. Study design: Series of reports. Methods and results: Multi-slice spiral CT (MSCT) can confirm and locate most foreign bodies. Dual source CT (DSCT) is a more advanced technique with double speed, 20% of the radiation dosage and higher resolution, so it is more suitable for possible esophageal foreign bodies, especially in children, with no need for sedation. We provide a preliminary experiment of a DSCT scan of two fish, and we present a series of 11 cases with DSCT scans of which 5 were positive. Conclusions: Timely diagnosis and accurate localization are paramount for endoscopy. DSCT is very useful for diagnosis and evaluation of esophageal foreign bodies. Crown Copyright (C) 2014 Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.