Development of the Split-Bolus Pulmonary Arteriovenous Separating Computed Tomography Angiography Protocol Based on Time Enhancement Curve for Lung Cancer Surgery

Abstract

Objective We devised a split-bolus injection and imaging protocol for pulmonary artery and vein separation computed tomography (CT) angiography based on time enhancement curve characterization. Furthermore, we aimed to evaluate the contrast enhancement effect and success rate of blood vessel separation between the pulmonary artery and vein of this proposed protocol. Methods In this study, 102 patients (45 patients with the standard protocol and 57 patients with the proposed protocol) who underwent pulmonary arteriovenous computed tomography angiography were included. The CT values of various vessels, CT value difference between the pulmonary trunk and left atrium, and coefficient of variation in pulmonary arteries and veins were obtained from images of the standard and proposed protocols. Results The CT values in the proposed protocol for the pulmonary trunk were significantly higher than those in the standard protocol (487.3 [415.5–546.9] HU vs. 293.0 [259.0–350.0] HU, P < 0.01). The CT value difference between the pulmonary trunk and left atrium in the proposed protocol was significantly higher than that in the conventional protocol (211.3 [158.0–265.7] HU vs. 32 [−30.0–55.0] HU, P < 0.01). The coefficient of variation in the proposed protocol was 0.08 (0.06–0.10) and 0.09 (0.08–0.11) in pulmonary arteries and 0.08 (0.06–0.09) and 0.09 (0.07–0.12) in pulmonary veins, respectively. Conclusions The proposed protocol achieved separation between the pulmonary artery and vein in many patients, making it useful for the preoperative assessment of individual thoracic anatomy.