Evaluation of interlobar and accessory pulmonary fissures on 64-row MDCT.

We aimed to describe the prevalence, morphology, and completeness of the oblique, horizontal, and accessory fissures on 64-row multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) scans. Three hundred and eighty-seven patients were included in this study. The lungs were scanned from apex to diaphragm using 1-mm collimation. Images were evaluated on a Philips workstation using the PACS system. Prevalence of the interlobar and accessory fissures and also incompleteness of the interlobar fissures was evaluated on axial, coronal, and sagittal planes. The frequencies of right oblique fissures, right horizontal fissures, and left oblique fissures were 99.7%, 94.8%, and 100%, and the percentage of incompleteness was 69.7%, 86.9%, and 48.3%, respectively. Accessory fissures were detected in 164 of the 387 patients (42.4%). Pulmonary fissures are well visualized on MDCT because of its capacity in evaluating the whole thorax with thin sections and at various planes. Fast-image acquisition in MDCT also accounts for less motion artifacts and high-image quality. (c) 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.