TITLE:
Optimal Minimum Number of CT Slices Required to Measure Cross Sectional Areas of Small Pulmonary Vessels
AUTHORS:
Shingo Sakamoto, Shoichiro Matsushita, Akiyuki Kotoku, Hayato Tomita, Yuki Saito, Shinji Saruya, Shin Matsuoka, Tsuneo Yamashiro, Atsuko Fujikawa, Kunihiro Yagihashi, Yasuo Nakajima
KEYWORDS:
Computed Tomography, Cross-Sectional Area, Pulmonary Vessels, Quantitative Analysis
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Medical Imaging,
Vol.5 No.2,
June
5,
2015
ABSTRACT: The cross-sectional area (CSA) of small pulmonary vessels can be quantified by CT, which is a reliable method of evaluating vascular alterations in such vessels. However, the optimal number of slices required for accurate quantitation remains unknown. We evaluated relationships among all slices at 10-mm interval and all slices at 3-cm interval, 6-cm interval, and 3-slices and found the closest correlation (0.939) between all slices at 10-mm intervals and 3-cm intervals. Thus, all slices at 3-cm intervals are suitable for accurately measuring CSA.