3D-CT angiography with ultrafast CT in the diagnosis of pulmonary thromboembolism

The usefulness of 3D-CT angiography (3D-CTA) with ultrafast CT (UFCT) in the diagnosis of pulmonary thromboembolism (PTE) was evaluated. UFCT was carried out in 10 patients with PTE (acute: 5 cases, chronic: 5 cases) and one case with pulmonary artery thrombosis secondary to pulmonary hypertension with atrial septal defect. CT scanning was performed with Imatron C-100XL and C-150L. For the imaging, single-slice step volume scan mode was used with scan time of 100 msec and slice thickness of 6 mm. Contiguous axial images were obtained after contrast enhancement with slice interval of 6 mm. 3D-CTA was reconstructed from 2D-CT images with workstation, and was compared with pulmonary angiograms (PAG) or operative findings. The images of 3D-CTA had good quality and they were more useful than 2D-CT images in better understanding of the configuration and the extent of the thrombi. In comparison with PAG, 3D-CTA gave equivalent information in terms of central pulmonary emboli. Moreover, 3D-CTA had advantages over PAG in demonstrating both the blood lumen and the thrombus on the same image with capability of multidirectional displays. 3D-CTA with UFCT is the useful non-invasive imaging modality in the diagnosis of PTE.