Abstract
Some adenocarcinomas situated adjacent to the visceral pleura are similar to those within the pulmonary parenchyma in terms of the findings suggestive of shrinkage. We assessed the usefulness of 3D CT reconstruction images (multiplanar reconstruction images, MPR images) for three cases of lung cancer. Although all cases were adjacent to visceral pleura they seemed to be nodules surrounded by normal lung parenchyma with a well defined outer margin. There were tangential shadows of vessels between the chest wall and the outer margin of the tumor. MPR images showed that the vessels came from the lower portion of the tumor deriving from expansion of the lower portion of the tumor. There is a possibility that nodules may be in contact with the visceral pleura when only the outer margin of the tumor is well defined and vessels are recognized between the chest wall and the tumor on CT. In these cases, assessment of pleural invasion is an important factor in lung cancer staging.
