CT angiography with volume rendering: advantages and applications in splanchnic vascular imaging.

The authors compared volume rendering with maximum intensity projection (MIP) and shaded surface display as a technique for generating three-dimensional (3D) images of the vasculature from spiral computed tomography (CT) data sets. In four patients with pathologic splanchnic vasculature, the advantages of volume-rendered display are illustrated for depiction of 3D vascular anatomy, vascular and visceral interrelationships, variant vasculature, tumor encasement, and hepatic tumor localization for presurgical planning.