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Pediatric Imaging Website
This site is devoted to Parents of Children cared for at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston and the Residents of Emory University Department of Radiology

Airway Exam

The examination of the airway is often done to detect causes of noisy breathing in infants and young children.  There may have been some trauma, as in the use of a catheter in the trachea early in life.  This can lead to scarring.  Persistent wheezing is a sign of blockage of the air below the level of the neck.  Sometimes a liquid, such as barium, is given to look for vessels in the chest which can distort the airway, such as a "vascular ring."  The patient lies flat on the table with the neck extended and the airway is observed while breathing or crying.  This is then done with the baby on it's side.  Finally, barium is given to evaluate for the vascular ring.  This exam takes about 5 to 10 minutes to complete and does not require sedation or with-holding of feedings.

Here is an example of a normal airway exam:
Here is an example of laryngomalacia seen on fluoro exam:

This is a PowerPoint presentation.  You should be able to view this as a dynamic exam.  The AP and Lateral views are a series of views.  Click on the right-hand side of the first image, wait and then release the mouse.  You should be able to move the mouse up and down to scroll through the images.  If not, after opening Powerpoint, adjust security settings to "low security" to allow the macro to run.