Value of multiplanar reconstruction in MSCT in demonstrating the relationship between solitary pulmonary nodule and bronchus.

In this report, we studied the value of the solitary pulmonary nodule (SPN)-bronchus relationship in determining the nature of SPN by multiplanar reconstruction (MPR) in multislice spiral computed tomography (MSCT). One hundred forty-eight SPN cases were enrolled. CT was performed in all cases using MSCT. Images were then transferred to a processing workstation for MPR. The results showed that MPR is a valuable tool for visualizing the SPN-bronchus relationship and that the SPN-bronchus relationship is useful in determining the nature and the degree of differentiation of SPN.