[Pelvic artery representation on three-dimensional reconstructed multislice spiral CT images: variability between the young and the elderly].
OBJECTIVE
To analyze the variability in pelvic artery representation on three-dimensional reconstructed multislice spiral CT images between young adults and the elderly.


METHODS
Eight young adult volunteers from the medical staff and 8 elderly people undergoing regular coronary artery examination, who were all free of coronary artery disease and diabetes mellitus, were enrolled in this study. After administration of the contrast agent through the median cubital vein at 3.5 ml/s, the subjects underwent contrast-enhanced CT angiography of the pelvic arteries utilizing a 16-row multislice spiral CT. The images were collected and processed with volume reconstruction (VR) technique for three-dimensional reconstruction to distinguish the arteries and their branches.


RESULTS
Good visualization of the pelvic artery was observed on the reconstructed CT images of the young subjects, which revealed in detail up to the third- and even the fourth-order vessels, and the arteries were smooth and had plenty of branches; but in the elderly only the second- or third-order vessels were shown, and the arteries appeared stiff with only a few branches.


CONCLUSIONS
Compared with the young adults, the elderly have generally poor visualization of the pelvic arteries on three-dimensional reconstructed multislice spiral CT images possibly in association with atherosclerosis and the functional deterioration of the blood vessels in the latter, which is relative to vascular morphologic changes, suggesting the necessity of studying the pelvic vessels with developmental and functional methods.
Gao
Cheng-jie
CJ
Institute of Clinical Anatomy, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China. goldinbeijing90@163.com
Xu
Da-chuan
DC
Pei
Qiang
Q
Yuan
Xiao-jing
XJ
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000792:Angiography / Q000379:methods*; D001158:Arteries; D001161:Arteriosclerosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D003287:Contrast Media / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010388:Pelvis / Q000098:blood supply*; D036542:Tomography, Spiral Computed / Q000379:methods*
D003287:Contrast Media