Comparative Imaging Study for Feeding Artery Changes in the Chronic Infla Mmation of the Lung and Primary Lung Cancer with 64-slice Spiral CT Angiography

Objective To explore the difference of feeding artery between the pulmonary chronic inflammation and primary lung lcancer with 64-slice spiral CT angiography and to evaluate its clinical value in the differential diagnosis.Materials and Methods The CT scan data of 81 patients,including 38 cases of primary lung cancer,21 cases of chronic inflammation(including bronchiectasis),2 cases of primary lung cancer with bronchiectasis and 20 cases without any chest lesion as normal control group were collected.The patients and normal controls received enhanced chest CT scan.Three-dimensional imaging characters of the bronchial arteries were analyzed using volume rendering(VR),multi-planar reformation(MPR) and maximum intensity projection(MIP) at workstation.The inner diameter of bronchial arteries and the rate of nonbranchial systemic arteries supplying to lesion were calculated.The inner diameter of bronchial arteries in three groups as well as the rate of nonbranchial systemic arteries supplying to lesion between the cancer group and the chronic inflammation group were compared respectively(except 2 cases of primary lung cancer with bronchiectasis).Results The inner diameter of bronchial arteries was 1.87 mm and the rate of nonbranchial systemic arteries supplying to lesion was 18.42% in 38 primary lung cancers,while the diameter of bronchial arteries was 2.54 mm and the rate of nonbranchial systemic arteries supplying to lesion was 47.62% in 21 chronic inflammations.There was a significant difference between the two groups(P0.05).Conclusion Bronchial artery is dilated both in the cancer and chronic inflammation group.The dilation in the chronic inflammation group is more prominent than that in the cancer group.There are more nonbranchial systemic arteries supplying to lesion in the chronic inflammation group.The findings of feeding artery of the chronic inflammation and primary lung cancer are valuable in differential diagnosis.