Lower extremity CT angiography in peripheral arterial disease: from the established approach to evolving technical developments.

Abstract

With the advent of multidetector computed tomography (CT), CT angiography (CTA) has gained widespread popularity for noninvasive imaging of the arterial vasculature. Peripheral extremity CTA can nowadays be performed rapidly with high spatial resolution and a decreased amount of both intravenous contrast and radiation exposure. In patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD), this technique can be used to delineate the bilateral lower extremity arterial tree and to determine the amount of atherosclerotic disease while differentiating between acute and chronic changes. This article provides an overview of several imaging techniques for PAD, specifically discusses the use of peripheral extremity CTA in patients with PAD, clinical indications, established technical considerations and novel technical developments, and the effect of postprocessing imaging techniques and structured reporting.