| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH |
|
|
|
|||||||
|
|||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Cardiac Imaging |
1 From the Departments of Radiology (E.M.M., Y.H.K., H.P.M.) and Biostatistics and Bioinformatics (J.E.H.), Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC. Received February 25, 2003; revision requested April 29; revision received June 19; accepted August 8. Address correspondence to E.M.M., Department of Radiology, Box 57, M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030 (e-mail: emarom@di.mdacc.tmc.edu).
PURPOSE: To evaluate and classify the various drainage patterns of the pulmonary veins as depicted with thin-section chest computed tomography (CT).
MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thin-section (2.5-mm collimation) contrast material–enhanced CT scans of 201 consecutive patients obtained over a 3-month period for diagnosis of pulmonary embolism (n = 197), pulmonary vein stenosis (n = 2), or aortic injury (n = 2) were routinely reviewed in transverse and (if necessary) coronal and coronal-oblique imaging planes. A classification was formulated based on both the number of venous ostia on each side and the drainage patterns of pulmonary veins. The frequency of each pattern was determined, and association with atrial arrhythmia was assessed with the 
2 and Fisher exact tests.
RESULTS: Most patients (n = 142, 71%) had two ostia on the right side for upper and lower lobe veins. Fifty-six patients (28%) had three to five ostia on the right side, which were due to one or two separate middle lobe vein ostia in 52 (26%) patients. Three patients (2%) had a single venous ostium on the right side. Most patients (n = 173, 86%) had two ostia on the left side for upper and lower lobe veins. The remainder (n = 28, 14%) had a single ostium. There was no significant association between any particular venous drainage pattern and atrial arrhythmia; however, patients with a separate ostia for the right middle lobe pulmonary vein(s) tended to have a higher frequency of atrial arrhythmia than those with other patterns (P = .053).
CONCLUSION: A classification system to succinctly describe pulmonary venous drainage patterns was developed. Right-sided venous drainage was more variable than left-sided venous drainage. One-quarter of patients had more than two venous ostia on the right side.
© RSNA, 2004
Index terms: Computed tomography (CT), thin-section, 945.12918 • Pulmonary arteries, flow dynamics, 945.12944 • Pulmonary veins, CT, 945.12918 • Radiofrequency (RF) ablation
This article has been cited by other articles:
|
|
 |
|
  R. S. Gabriel and A. L. Klein Managing catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation: the role of echocardiography Europace, November 1, 2008; 10(suppl_3): iii8 - iii13. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 L. F Tops and M. J Schalij Multislice CT: is it essential before atrial fibrillation ablation? Heart, August 1, 2008; 94(8): 973 - 975. [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 S. Schroeder, S. Achenbach, F. Bengel, C. Burgstahler, F. Cademartiri, P. de Feyter, R. George, P. Kaufmann, A. F. Kopp, J. Knuuti, et al. Cardiac computed tomography: indications, applications, limitations, and training requirements: Report of a Writing Group deployed by the Working Group Nuclear Cardiology and Cardiac CT of the European Society of Cardiology and the European Council of Nuclear Cardiology Eur. Heart J., February 2, 2008; 29(4): 531 - 556. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 L. F. Tops, S. C. Krishnan, J. D. Schuijf, M. J. Schalij, and J. J. Bax Noncoronary Applications of Cardiac Multidetector Row Computed Tomography J. Am. Coll. Cardiol. Img., January 1, 2008; 1(1): 94 - 106. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
L. F Tops, E. E van der Wall, M. J Schalij, and J. J Bax Multi-modality imaging to assess left atrial size, anatomy and function Heart, November 1, 2007; 93(11): 1461 - 1470. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 J. Rademaker, F. Saremi, and S. Krishnan Invited Commentary * Authors' Response RadioGraphics, November 1, 2007; 27(6): 1566 - 1567. [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 C. Schneider, S. Ernst, E. Bahlmann, R. Malisius, U. Krumsdorf, S. Boczor, F. Lampe, M. Hoffmann-Riem, K.-H. Kuck, and M. Antz Transesophageal echocardiography: A screening method for pulmonary vein stenosis after catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation Eur J Echocardiogr, December 1, 2006; 7(6): 447 - 456. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 O. M. Wazni, H.-M. Tsao, S.-A. Chen, H.-H. Chuang, W. Saliba, A. Natale, and A. L. Klein Cardiovascular Imaging in the Management of Atrial Fibrillation J. Am. Coll. Cardiol., November 21, 2006; 48(10): 2077 - 2084. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 K. Asai, N. Urabe, K. Yajima, K. Suzuki, and T. Kazui Right Upper Lobe Venous Drainage Posterior to the Bronchus Intermedius: Preoperative Identification by Computed Tomography Ann. Thorac. Surg., June 1, 2005; 79(6): 1866 - 1871. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 Y.-H. Kim, E. M. Marom, J. E. Herndon II, and H. P. McAdams Pulmonary Vein Diameter, Cross-sectional Area, and Shape: CT Analysis Radiology, April 1, 2005; 235(1): 43 - 49. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
T. D. Bahnson Clinician's Commentary Radiology, April 1, 2005; 235(1): 49 - 50. [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
M. R. M. Jongbloed, M. S. Dirksen, J. J. Bax, E. Boersma, K. Geleijns, H. J. Lamb, E. E. van der Wall, A. de Roos, and M. J. Schalij Atrial Fibrillation: Multi-Detector Row CT of Pulmonary Vein Anatomy prior to Radiofrequency Catheter Ablation--Initial Experience Radiology, March 1, 2005; 234(3): 702 - 709. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH |
| RADIOLOGY | RADIOGRAPHICS | RSNA JOURNALS ONLINE |
