Pamela T. Johnson, MD, and Elliot K. Fishman, MD
The evolution from single-detector helical computed to-mography (CT) to multidetector row CT (MDCT) transformed CT angiography from a limited examination to a highly accurate noninvasive tool for vascular imaging. Because of rapid acquisition speeds and isotropic resolution, CT volumes acquired during peak arterial enhancement pro-vide unprecedented visualization of smaller arterial structures, such as the abdominal aortic branches and vasa recta. In this review, we illustrate the range of renal and mesenteric artery pathology that can be routinely diagnosed because of the high image quality afforded by current-generation MDCT scanners. The importance of MDCT technology (64-slice and beyond) and protocol optimization are addressed. In addition, through case presentation, we demonstrate the utility of multiplanar display by using 2D multiplanar reconstructions, volume rendering (VRT), and maximum intensity projection (MIP).