Multislice CT pulmonary angiography and CT venography.
Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a common and potentially lethal complication of deep venous thrombosis. Clinical diagnosis is difficult and treatment carries significant potential side effects. High sensitivity and specificity of any diagnostic modality for PE are desirable. Helical CT pulmonary angiography (CTPA) offers this by direct visualization of embolic material within the pulmonary arteries. For a number of reasons, including the mobility and orientation of the pulmonary vessels and the peripheral nature of some emboli, the accuracy of CTPA is directly related to the spatial resolution of the technique used. The advent of multislice technology lends itself to improved spatial and temporal resolution and has led to a significant improvement on earlier CTPA results. Indirect CT venography may also be performed as an adjunct to CTPA to help demonstrate culprit thrombus within the lower limbs.
Reid
J H
JH
Radiology Department, Borders General Hospital, Melrose TD6 9BS, UK.
D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods; D010690:Phlebography / Q000379:methods*; D011655:Pulmonary Embolism / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000209:etiology; D011667:Pulmonary Veins / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods*