Comparative evaluation of the pulmonary arteries in patients with right ventricular outflow tract obstructive lesions.

The purpose of this prospective study was to assess and compare the roles of CT, sonography, and cineangiography in the evaluation of the central pulmonary arteries. Twenty patients with severe cyanotic congenital heart disease were evaluated. In six patients, cineangiography failed to identify pulmonary arteries (four right, two left) that were seen by CT. Narrowing within the right pulmonary artery was seen more clearly by CT and sonography than by cineangiography in one-third of patients. By contrast, narrowing of the origin of the left pulmonary artery shown by cineangiography was not detected by either CT or sonography in four of four patients. CT has a complementary role and should be performed when the pulmonary arteries are not well seen by cineangiography or sonography, confirmation of the patency and adequacy of the pulmonary arteries is necessary before complete repair, or documentation of interval growth of the pulmonary arteries is desired after palliative surgery.