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Imaging of large and small airway diseases

¹ Department of Clinical Radiology, Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, Shrewsbury, Shropshire SY3 8XQ, ² Department of Radiology, Birmingham Heartlands Hospital, Birmingham B9 5SS, ³ Department of Radiology, The Birmingham Children's Hospital, Birmingham B4 6NH, UK

• Multislice helical computed tomography is a powerful diagnostic tool in the assessment of both large and small airway disease.
  
• Significant tracheal disease is often initially misdiagnosed as asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
  
• In the assessment of tracheal disease, imaging, clinical and bronchoscopic assessment are complementary.
  
• High resolution computed tomography can provide a reliable and non-invasive means of identifying bronchiectasis. The pattern and distribution may sometimes give an indication of the underlying aetiology.
  
• Small airway disease can manifest with direct or indirect signs or both on high resolution computed tomography.
  

Following a brief account of anatomy and imaging techniques, this article will provide an overview of the imaging findings of some of the more common abnormalities affecting the trachea, main bronchi and small airways.