THE ROLE OF MULTI-DETECTOR COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY IN THE ASSESSMENT OF CYSTIC AND CAVITARY PULMONARY LESIONS

Introduction: Lung cysts and cavities are well defined lesions with definable walls containing air or fluid. The differential diagnosis is broad including congenital, idiopathic, infective or neoplastic lesions. Multidetector row CT is primary non-invasive evaluation of cystic and cavitary lesions. Objective: To assess the role of multi-detector computed tomography (MDCT) in evaluation of cystic and cavitary lesions in the lung. Methods: The study was conducted on 63 patients with cystic or cavitary pulmonary lesions and subjected to MDCT Results: The study included 33 patients with infective lesions, 13 patients with idiopathic lesions, eight patients with congenital lesions, seven patients with neoplastic lesions and two patients with pseudocystic lesions proved to be due to diaphragmatic hernias. Conclusion: MDCT is an accurate safe diagnostic modality in assessing cystic and cavitary lung lesions; it can assess wall thickness, size, contents and surrounding parenchyma.