Spontaneous solitary superior mesenteric artery dissection:multi-slice spiral CT findings in ninteen cases

Objective:To explore the value of multi-slice spiral CT(MSCT) together with imaging postprocessing technique in the diagnosis of spontaneous isolated superior mesenteric artery dissection(SISMAD).Methods:Ninteen patients with clinically suspected SISMAD underwent MSCT.Multiplanar and three-dimensional images were obtained by imaging postprocessing techniques of volume rendering technique(VRT),multiplanar reconstruction(MPR),curved planar reformation(CPR) and maximum intensity projection(MIP) on a workstation.Results:According to Yun's classification,there were 7 cases of typeⅠ,4 of type Ⅱa,8 of type Ⅱb and 0 of type Ⅲ.Intimal tears and lumen thrombosis in aortic dissection were clearly shown on VRT,MPR,CPR and MIP.Other MSCT findings associated with SISMAD were abdominal aortic atherosclerosis(n=11),visceral artery aneurysm(n=2) and common iliac artery aneurysms(n= 3).Conclusion:MSCT allows the comprehensive evaluation of spontaneous isolated superior mesenteric artery dissection in terms of morphologic features and extent,making it the first-line imaging modality for the evaluation of spontaneous isolated superior mesenteric artery dissection.