Radiology of pulmonary vascular disease

Several radiologic methods are available for the evaluation of suspected pulmonary vascular disease. Of these, the conventional chest radiograph and CT are the most useful. Although conventional radiographs suffer from poor sensitivity and specificity, they are readily available and relatively inexpensive. They can exclude other significant diseases and may suggest a specific vascular process. CT is the primary modality for evaluation of pulmonary vascular disease. It provides an excellent evaluation of the lung parenchyma, mediastinum, and pulmonary vasculature, and helical CT has largely replaced conventional angiography except for selective indications such as CTEPH.