Radiology: Volume 247: Number 3-June 2008
Edward Y. Lee, MD, MPH Phillip M.Boiselle, MD Robert H. Cleveland, MD
Congenital lung anomalies vary widely in their clinical manifestation and imaging appearance. Although radio-graphs play a role in the incidental detection and initial imaging evaluation in patients with clinical suspicion of congenital lung anomalies, cross-sectional imaging such as computer tomography (CT) is frequently required for con-firmation of diagnosis, further characterization, and pre-operative evaluation in the case of surgical lesions. Re-cently, with the development and widespread availability of multidetector CT scanners, CT has assumed a greater role in the noninvasive evaluation of congenital lung anom-alies. The combination of fast speed, high spatial resolu-tion, and enhanced quality of multiplanar reformation and three-dimensional reconstructions makes multidetector CT an ideal noninvasive method for evaluating congenital lung anomalies. In this article, the authors review the multidetector CT technique for evaluation of congenital lung anomalies. Important clinical aspects, characteristic imaging features, and key points that allow differentiation among various anomalies are highlighted for a variety of common and uncommon conditions.