PERIPHERAL VASCULAR DISEASE EVALUATION BY MULTIDETECTOR CT ANGIOGRAPHY: INITIAL EXPERIENCE

Abstract

To share our experience of CT Angiography on a Multislice CT Scanner in diagnosing different peripheral vascular disorders. Since the installation of multidetector CT (16 detectors) in our institution, 17 patients have undergone CT angiography of the upper and lower limbs. The cases included 11 lower limb and 6 upper limb angiographies. CT angiograms were produced using maximal intensity projection, volume rendering technique, and curved planar reconstruction. All patients were scanned in the supine position with 150-180 cc Non ionic contrast medium injected at a rate of 4 cc/sec. Images were then transferred to a dedicated workstation (VITREA2) for 3-D reconstruction and analysis. The findings were then prospectively compared with the surgical outcome or clinical progression of the disease. All the patients withstood the procedure well, with diagnostically adequate vascular enhancement. No image degradation and no serious post procedure complications due to the amount of contrast or the radiation dosage used were noted. CT angiography allowed a comprehensive diagnostic workup in all cases thus aiding their management. In all the cases results of CTA correlated well with other diagnostic modalities and with surgical or clinical findings. Our initial experience of CT angiography with 16 row MDCT has clearly demonstrated its efficacy as a promising, fast, accurate, non-invasive and safe imaging modality of choice in cases of peripheral vascular disease and as a useful screening modality in cases of peripheral vascular diseases for diagnosis, and type of treatment. KEY WORDS: MDCT, CTA, peripheral vascular disease