Congenital Anomalies of Thoracic Systemic and Pulmonary Veins Visualized with Computed Tomography

Introduction of multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) into daily clinical use has been a breakthrough in the thoracic imaging. It allowed one breathhold scanning of the entire chest, and thin sections made multiplanar and volumetric reconstructions easily available. Initially, the main interest focused on the abdominal aorta and its branches, however, it turned out, that MDCT allows for an excellent visualization and assessment of thoracic veins, including their anatomical variants and thrombosis. Thin collimation combined with secondary reconstructions allows preliminary diagnosis of vascular anomalies even in precontrast scanning. Secondary reconstructions in oblique or curved planes, three-dimensional reconstructions and ECG-gating allow clear identification of venous pathologies.