Nonvascular Mesenteric Disease: Utility of Multidetector CT with 3D Volume Rendering

RadioGraphics 2009; 29:721-740

Pamela T. Johnson, MD , Karen M. Horton, MD , Elliot K. Fishman, MD

Creation of isotropic volumes with submillimeter multidetector com­puted tomography (CT) has expanded interpretative practice to routinely include two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) postprocessing techniques. Currently, 2D multiplanar reformatting, maximum intensity projection, and 3D volume rendering are available on most workstations. Only volume rendering yields a 3D display that depicts all tissue types from any orientation. Utility is not limited to vascular applications, as 3D volume rendering can be used to evalu­ate neoplastic, infectious, and inflammatory processes that affect the small-bowel mesentery. Specifically, interactive interpretation of mul­tidetector CT data sets with volume rendering can help characterize nonvascular mesenteric disease, elucidate its extent through more com­prehensive display, and facilitate the identification of complications.