THE CLINICAL USEFULNESS OF ROUTINE STACKED MULTIPLANAR RECONSTRUCTIONIN HELICAL ABDOMINAL COMPUTED-TOMOGRAPHY

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES. The authors evaluate the usefulness of stack ed multiplanar reconstructions in routine, thick-section abdominal com puted tomography. MATERIALS AND METHODS. Twenty-five routine, thick-se ction contrast abdominal CTs performed with equivalent technique were reformatted by multiplanar reconstructions in sagittal and coronal pla nes sequentially from side-to-side and front-to-back, The image sets w ere submitted, first axial images only followed by axial plus multipla nar reconstructions (MPRs), to 5 separate physician readers including 2 radiologists and 3 nonradiologists, These readers graded the visuali zation of a variety of normal and up to 5 pathologic lesions per patie nt on a scale of 1 to 5 (5 = best). RESULTS. The addition of sagittal and coronal multiplanar reconstructions significantly improved the vis ualization of all normal anatomic structures (mean axial only, 3.8; me an axial plus MPR, 4.1; P < 0.0001), In addition, most pathologic lesi ons were statistically better visualized with the addition of multipla nar reconstructions (mean axial images only, 3.9; mean axial plus MPR, 4.1; P < 0.0001), All five readers found improved visualization in ne arly every category with the addition of the multiplanar reconstructio ns. However, in only 7% of cases, did a reviewer find new diagnostic i nformation with the addition of MPR images. CONCLUSIONS. Stacked multi planar reconstructions of routine, thick-section abdominal CT has clin ical value in both the display of normal anatomic and pathologic lesio ns. Further studies, however, are required to confirm these findings b efore it is commonly used.