The staging of pulmonary angiography with the multi-slice spiral CT: to evaluate its significance in cancerous invasion of central pulmonary artery in lung cancer

Abstract

Objective To explore the possibility of the staging of pulmonary angiography with multi slice spiral CT (MSCT) and to evaluate its value in making surgical plan for patients with lung cancer. Methods MSCT with two-segment injection and three-protocol scan was performed in 73 patients with central type lung cancer. According to the site and degree, the involvement of pulmonary artery was divided into three grades and blindly compared with the surgery and pathology. Results MSCT in 68 cases (93.15%, 68/73) was successfully performed. The involvement of central pulmonary artery was grade Ⅰ in 4 cases (5.88%, 4/68), grade Ⅱ in 9 (13.23%, 9/68), and grade Ⅲ in 55 (80.88%, 55/68). All patients with grade Ⅰ underwent lobectomy. There was remarkable difference of lobectomy ratio between grade Ⅱ and Ⅲ (χ2=64.03, P < 0.005) and also between Ⅲa and Ⅲb (χ2=68.69, P < 0.005). All patients with grade Ⅲc were ruled out from surgery.Conclusion The staging of pulmonary angiography by MSCT is useful to demonstrate the site and degree of involvement of central pulmonary artery and provides more precise evidence of images for making surgical plan.

DOI: 10.3779/j.issn.1009-3419.2003.01.10