Three-dimensional CT angiographic assessment of vascular diseases using various postprocessing techniques: the voxel transmission and cruising eye view methods and their respective merits

Background. To assess the clinical usefulness of three-dimensional CT angio graphy (3D-CTA) with newly-developed three-dimensional reconstruction techn iques; voxel transmission (VT) and cruising eye view (CEV) methods, for per forming minimally invasive diagnostic imaging of vascular diseases. Methods. Design: retrospective comparative study. Setting: University Hospi tal, Japan. Patients: fifty-five patients with vascular lesions confirmed b y catheter angiography (20 patients with aortic aneurysms, 10 patients with aortic dissection, and 25 patients with peripheral arterial occlusive dise ase). Main outcome measures: minimally invasive, three-dimensional diagnosi s of vascular diseases. Results. Angiogram-like images with a diagnostic quality similar to that of catheter angiography were obtained by the three-dimensional CT angiography /voxel transmission (3D-CTA/VT) method. This method is useful for treatment planning and also valuable for assessing the effectiveness of treatment. T hree-dimensional endoscopic images of the vessel interior were obtained by the three-dimensional CT angiography cruising eye method (3D-CTA/CEV). This also yielded precise information about the relationship between the vascul ar lesions and the aortic orifices. Conclusions. Three-dimensional CTA/VT and three-dimensionaI-CTA/CEV enable visualisation of vascular lesions from an infinite number of viewing angles , and are useful as minimally invasive diagnostic techniques for imaging th e vasculature.