Abstract
Three-dimensional computed tomographic pulmonary angiography (3D-CTPA) was performed in 11 patients with primary lung cancer who were scheduled for anatomical pulmonary resection. The 3D-CTPA images were obtained by the multidetector row spiral computed tomography (MDCT) technique. Images of the branching pattern of the pulmonary artery (PA) were compared with intraoperative findings in each case. All branches of the right PA (31 of 31) and 97% of the left branches (34 of 35) were visualized on the pre-operative 3D-CTPA images. One branch that was not detected on the 3D-CTPA images was a small vessel, and it was difficult to distinguish between the PA and the pulmonary vein. No intraoperative bleeding or pulmonary vessel injury occurred. Thus, pre-operative 3D-CTPA by means of MDCT is very useful for ensuring a safe surgical procedure in anatomical pulmonary resection.
