The aorta, the largest artery in the body, pumps up to 200 million L of blood in an average lifetime. Thoracic aortic diseases range from chronic to acute and have…

The arteries of the lower extremities are commonly affected by atherosclerosis, trauma, and thromboembolism. Advanced vascular disease frequently results in limb loss and decreased life expectancy. In this chapter, key…

Pericardial disease is an important cause of morbidity and mortality. In general, diseases that affect the pericardium tend to affect it diffusely. Focal disease may be related to masses, cysts,…

The typical challenges a radiologist confront when evaluating a patient with a shunt are to decide the location, type, and size of the defect, as well as rim size and…

Coronary Artery Disease The definition of coronary artery disease is not uniform. Often any atherosclerotic plaque that is present in the coronary system, even if completely asymptomatic, will be labeled…

Normal Anatomy The main pulmonary artery arises from the right ventricle at the level of the pulmonic valve and travels approximately 5 cm before bifurcating into the left and right…

Shortly after the development of computed tomography (CT) in the early 1970s, great interest was expressed in applying this technology to imaging of the heart. In fact, less than a…

Stent Grafts Zenith Endograft The Zenith endograft (Cook Medical, Inc., Bloomington, Ind) was released in 2003 ( Fig. 19-1 ). This Food and Drug Administration (FDA)–approved woven polyester device, which…

The bronchial arteries represent approximately 1% of the blood supply to the lungs and do not participate in gas exchange. They provide systemic blood supply to the airways, esophagus, posterior…

Normal Anatomy The sinuses of Valsalva are three adjacent dilatations or pouches of the aorta that have a cloverleaf configuration and lie above the level of the aortic valve but…