The application of multi-slice CT and image post processing techniques in diagnosing of pulmonary embolism

Objective: To characterize the pulmonary embolism (PE) on multi-slice CT pulmonary angiography, and to evaluate the role of multi-slice CT pulmonary angiography (CTPA) in the diagnosis of PE. Methods: Forty-five patients with PE confirmed by CTPA were retrospective analyzed. Images were reconstructed with maximal intensity projection (MIP), multiple planar reconstruction (MPR) and volume rendering technique (VRT). The display of pulmonary arteries and the ability of detecting embolisms were compared among the three different reconstruction techniques. Results: MPR images showed superiority to MIP and VRT images in displaying embolisms (P<0.05). Conclusion: MPR images were better than those of MIP and VRT, but provided poor three-dimensional information; MIP and VRT were more straightforward than MPR in displaying large branches of pulmonary artery. MPR combined with MIP and VRT could help to accurately establish PE diagnosis. (author)