Nowoczesna tomografia komputerowa w diagnostyce wybranych wad wrodzonych żył płucnych

Abstract

An excellent spatial and temporal resolution of computed tomography (CT) provides for precise evaluation of congenital cardiac malformation in selected group of patients. CT allows for quick, simultaneous assessment of all chest structures, such as pulmonary vessels, lung parenchyma and bones. Recent advances in CT hardware and software result in fast scanning of large anatomic ranges with a single lamp rotation without the need for patient's sedation and breath hold. The only limitation of CT is nowadays the exposure to ionizing radiation but with the new generation of scanners equipped with iterative reconstruction it is possible to reduce applied radiation dose while maintaining image quality. CT evaluation of pulmonary venous anomalies is well described, accurate for determining the site of anatomic obstruction in anomalous pulmonary venous return and has been shown to be highly specific when compared to operative findings. This article presents short review on current possibilities of CT diagnostic management of selected congenital pulmonary venous malformations.