ABSTRACT
Thoracic imaging plays a part in the assessment of patients in a wide variety of disciplines, not just respiratory medicine. The chest radiograph is a ubiquitous first-line investigation in many acutely ill patients, and the accurate interpretation of such a relatively humble technique still remains a challenge. The radiographic findings may guide further more sophisticated imaging techniques such as computed tomography (CT). Advances in CT such as high-resolution CT (HRCT) have led to increased sensitivity for the detection of pulmonary disease and increased specificity for diagnosis. Helical or spiral CT allows for much faster scanning times, multiplanar reconstructions, and optimization of intravenous contrast enhancement. Hence CT pulmonary angiography is now the first-line radiological investigation in many cases of suspected pulmonary embolus, allowing direct visualization of thrombus, even down to the level of the subsegmental arteries.
