BACKGROUND: CT of the chest for suspected pulmonary metastases in adults is generally performed using a breath-hold technique. The results may not be applicable to young children in whom breath-holding may be impossible. OBJECTIVE: Determine the effect of breathing on the accuracy of pulmonary metastasis detection by spiral CT (SCT). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Prior to euthanasia four anesthetized dogs with metastatic osteosarcoma underwent SCT with a collimation of 5 mm and a pitch of 2, during both induced breath-hold and normal quiet breathing. Images were reconstructed as contiguous 5-mm slices. Macroscopically evident metastases were noted at postmortem. Hard-copy SCT images were reviewed by ten radiologists, each of whom circled all suspected metastases. SCT images were compared with postmortem results to determine true and false positives. RESULTS: The pathologist identified 132 macroscopically evident pulmonary metastases. For metastasis detection, there was no significant difference between breath-hold SCT and breathing SCT. CONCLUSION: In our animal model, SCT can be performed during normal resting breathing without significant loss of accuracy in the detection of pulmonary metastases.
BACKGROUND: CT of the chest for suspected pulmonary metastases in adults is generally performed using a breath-hold technique. The results may not be applicable to young children in whom breath-holding may be impossible. OBJECTIVE: Determine the effect of breathing on the accuracy of pulmonary metastasis detection by spiral CT (SCT). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Prior to euthanasia four anesthetized dogs with metastatic osteosarcoma underwent SCT with a collimation of 5 mm and a pitch of 2, during both induced breath-hold and normal quiet breathing. Images were reconstructed as contiguous 5-mm slices. Macroscopically evident metastases were noted at postmortem. Hard-copy SCT images were reviewed by ten radiologists, each of whom circled all suspected metastases. SCT images were compared with postmortem results to determine true and false positives. RESULTS: The pathologist identified 132 macroscopically evident pulmonary metastases. For metastasis detection, there was no significant difference between breath-hold SCT and breathing SCT. CONCLUSION: In our animal model, SCT can be performed during normal resting breathing without significant loss of accuracy in the detection of pulmonary metastases.
Authors: Carolina C Otoni; Sheila C Rahal; Luiz C Vulcano; Sérgio M Ribeiro; Khadije Hette; Tatiana Giordano; Danuta P Doiche; Renée L Amorim Journal: Acta Vet Scand Date: 2010-03-09 Impact factor: 1.695