Why the study?
Does contrast-enhanced CT accurately differentiate vascular structures from neoplasms in patients with paravascular masses?
Does contrast-enhanced CT accurately differentiate vascular structures from neoplasms in patients with paravascular masses?
Contrast-enhanced CT can identify vascular structures, but angiography may still be needed for paravascular masses in patients with suspected neoplasia unless newer rapid scanning tomographs are used.
May support CT differentiation of vascular paravascular masses; leaves open angiography for suspected neoplasia pending prospective data.
Computed tomography (CT) is an accepted diagnostic tool for the evaluation of the known or suspected parenchymal or mediastinal mass. Contrast enhancement of a paravascular mass, proportional to that in an adjacent vascular structure, is strong evidence that the mass is a vascular structure. Based on our series of 200 chest examinations with an 18 sec CT scanner, it is recommended that the contrast enhanced paravascular mass be further evaluated with angiography if there is known primary neoplasm, evidence of mass growth, or clinical findings more consistent with neoplasia. The newer rapid scanning tomographs may obviate the need for angiography because of their ability to appreciate differentials in blood flow.
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Komaiko et al. (1980) studied this question.
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