Thick Curved Planar Reformation of Unenhanced Multislice Computed Tomography Demonstrating Urolithiasis

Objectives To determine what slice thickness provides optimal curved planar reformation (CPR) images of the urinary tract. Methods A total of 75 consecutive patients with acute flank pain were included in a retrospective pilot study and underwent unenhanced multislice computed tomography (MSCT) (col...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Urology (Ridgewood, N.J.) N.J.), 2009-09, Vol.74 (3), p.528-530
Main Authors: Wehrschuetz, M, Gallé, G, Wehrschuetz, E, Sorantin, E, Schaffler, G
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Biological and medical sciences
Female
Humans
Male
Medical sciences
Middle Aged
Nephrology. Urinary tract diseases
Pilot Projects
Retrospective Studies
Tomography, X-Ray Computed - methods
Urinary lithiasis
Urolithiasis - diagnostic imaging
Urology
Young Adult
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Summary:Objectives To determine what slice thickness provides optimal curved planar reformation (CPR) images of the urinary tract. Methods A total of 75 consecutive patients with acute flank pain were included in a retrospective pilot study and underwent unenhanced multislice computed tomography (MSCT) (collimation 3.75 mm, pitch 6, reconstruction increment 3 mm, working voltage 120 kV, and tube current 100 mA) with CPR reconstruction of the urinary tract. CPRs with differing slice thicknesses of 3-20 mm at 1-mm increments to reformat each ureter were assessed in each patient separately. Two radiologists and a urologist evaluated the quality of the reformatted images by judging each ureter in terms of the delineation of all its parts using a 5-point scale (insufficient, poor, moderate, good, and excellent). Results Of the 75 patients in our cohort, 52 (69%) had urolithiasis. CPR images could be made of all ureters in all patients. Good to excellent image quality was found in the CPRs performed with a slice thickness of 8-12 mm: 27.7% at 8 mm, 14.3% at 9 mm, 26.9% at 10 mm, 12.6% at 11 mm, and 18.5% at 12 mm. Thus, a slice thickness of 8-12 mm determined a cumulative likelihood of 96.7% to demonstrate the ureter totally. Conclusions The results of our study have shown that CPR is a feasible and quick useful tool. CPRs of the urinary tract with a slice thickness of 8-12 mm are best for good delineation of the whole ureter.
ISSN:0090-4295
1527-9995
DOI:10.1016/j.urology.2008.12.025