Purpose
We evaluated the patterns of subsubsegmental pulmonary arteries of the right upper lobe (posterior segment: S2; anterior segment: S3) with multiplanar reconstruction (MPR) images by multidetector row computed tomography (MDCT).
Materials and methods
A total of 64 patients who had undergone MDCT scans were included in the study. The subsubsegmental arteries were named by adding “i” or “ii” as the superior or the inferior branch, respectively, of the subsegmental arteries. The subsubsegmental arteries of S2 (A2ai, A2aii, A2bi, A2bii) and S3 (A3ai, A3aii, A3bi, A3bii) were evaluated as arising from either the recurrent artery (RA) or the ascending artery (AA).
Results
A2ai originated from the RA and AA in 43 and 21 patients, respectively. The corresponding numbers were 32 each for A2aii; 28 and 36 for A2bi; 23 and 41 for A2bii; 60 and 4 for A3ai; 43 and 21 for A3aii; 59 and 5 for A3bi; and 54 and 10 for A3bii.
Conclusion
The branching pattern of the subsubsegmental pulmonary arteries in the right upper lobe (S2 and S3) could be visualized using MDCT with MPR images.