Arterial CT angiography: evaluation of blood supply of pulmonary metastases

Objective To evaluate the blood supply of pulmonary metastases by using bronchial arterial and pulmonary arterial multi-slice CT angiography (BA-CTA, PA-CTA).Methods PA-CTA and BA-CTA were performed on 15 patients with pulmonary metastases after digital subtraction angiography of bronchial artery and pulmonary artery (BA-DSA, PA-DSA).Blood supply of the pulmonary metastases was assessed.Results On BA-DSA, 22 nodules demonstrated diffuse tumor vessels and tumor stains while the other 11 nodules demonstrated no tumor vessels.No hypertrophic tumor vessels or tumor stains were observed within all the 33 nodules on PA-DSA.On PA-CTA, the shortest distance from the nodule to thoracic wall between 16 nodules which had been enhanced and 17 which had not been enhanced was statistically significant (t=3.32, P0.05); but the diameter between the two groups was not statistically significant (t=1.13, P0.05).On BA-CTA, the shortest distance from the nodule to thoracic wall between 27 nodules which had been enhanced and 6 which had not been enhanced was statistically significant (t=3.95, P0.01); and the diameter between the two groups was still not statistically significant (t=1.27, P0.05).Conclusion Bronchial artery was the major feeding artery to the pulmonary metastases, but in the peripheral region of the lung there was a small pulmonary components.