Multidetector CT angiography with volumetric three-dimentional rendering to evaluate bronchial arteries in primary lung cancer

摘要

Objective: To evaluate the imageologic characteristics of the bronchial arteries (BAs) in primary lung cancer (PLC) with multidetector CT (MDCT) angiography. Methods: Thin-section enhanced CT scanning (with an Toshiba Aquilion 16 scanner) was performed in 164 PLC patients, of whom 123 were confirmed by pathology and the remaining 41 were confirmed by typical radiological and clinical findings. Another 46 patients with normal thoracic CT presentations were served as control. Three-dimensional (3D) images of the BAs were processed at workstation (Vitrea 2, Vital Corp, USA), Spatial anatomical characters of the BAs were observed using volume rendering (VR) and multiplanar reconstruction (MPR) or maximum intensity projection (MIP). Results: At least one bronchial artery was displayed clearly on VR in 152 (92. 7%) of the 164 PLC patients and 32 (69. 6%) of the 46 controls. There were 48. 92% of the right BAs originating from the descending aorta and 46. 24% from the right intercostal artery. 97. 53% of the left BAs originated from the descending aorta, and 94. 87% of the common trunk from the descending aorta. There were 10 distribution patterns of the BAs, with one on the right and one on the left predominating (48. 68%). More BA branches were found to reach far from the segmental bronchi or enter into the lesions in the PLC group than those in the control group (25. 8% vs 1. 7%), and also the ipsilateral side of the PLC than the contralateral side (40% vs 8. 8%). The diameter and the total transaxial areas of the BAs on the ipsilateral side of the PLC lesions were significantly larger than those on the contralateral side or those of the control group (P < 0. 05). Conclusion: The anatomic characters and pathologic changes can be depicted in vivo stereographically and clearly by CTA with volumetric 3D rendering. Dilation of the BAs and increase of total blood flow in patients with PLC can be evaluated quantitatively, which may be useful in the diagnosis and assessment of PLC, and have the potential to increase the safety and effect of interventional therapy.