Current Problems in Diagnostic Radiology; November/December 2002.
Lawler LP, Pannu HK, Corl FM, Fishman EK.
Recent progress in computed tomography (CT) imaging has included multidetector row CT and volume rendering 3-di-mensional post processing platforms. The growth in each of these areas has been synergistic and has offered new avenues for the formation and interpretation of diagnostic CT imaging studies. There is untapped added information in a conventional 2-dimensional axial planar pelvis study that may be harnessed with these tools. This article seeks to review the principles and application of these techniques when images of the normal pelvis are obtained. It is hoped the reader will gain insight into the design of such studies and an enhanced appreciation of the anatomic features routinely obtained on conventional CT studies.
The pelvis is defined by its bony confines and the soft tissue structures they contain. The pelvic brim demarcates the true and false pelvis and is defined as the pubic crest, pectineal line, and arcuate line of ilium. The limitations of axial computed tomography (CT) alone are reached in efforts to appreciate the pelvis' inherently nonplanar configuration, and many of the landmarks of the pelvis cannot be appreciated. A 3-D approach to CT imaging can selectively highlight tissues of interest and display them in customized projections that best favor their understanding. To this end the latest developments in volume rendering provide a useful tool. Combined with new high-quality multidetector row CT data sets, this exhibit seeks to provide insight into the normal pelvic anatomic features routinely seen in practice with 2-dimensional interpretation.