Abstract: To evaluate the difference of the detection rates and diameters of the bronchial arteries (BA) between the primary lung cancer group and the control group and also between the central lung cancer group and the peripheral lung cancer group by multislice spiral CT imaging. MethodsMultislice spiral CT imaging of the bronchial artery was performed on 64 patients with primary lung cancer (including 31 cases of central lung cancer and 33 cases of peripheral lung cancer) confirmed by pathology and 51 members of normal controls. MPR, MIP and VR were reformed for observation of the BA. ResultsThe detection rate was 92.19% in the lung cancer group and 70.59% in the control group, which was significantly different between the two groups(P＜0.05). Also the detection rate was 100% in the central lung cancer group, which was significantly different from that in the control group(P＜0.05). The BA diameter was significantly different between the lung cancer and the control groups, the central lung cancer and the control groups, the peripheral lung cancer and the control groups, and the central lung cancer and the peripheral lung cancer groups(P＜0.05). ConclusionThe detection rate is higher and the diameter of the BA is larger in the lung cancer group than in the control group, which indicates that the bronchial artery participates in the blood supply of lung cancer. The dilation of the BA in central lung cancer is more prominent than that in peripheral lung cancer, which might suggest different types of blood supply between the two groups.

Key words: Bronchial artery, Lung neoplasms, Tomography, spiral computed, Angiography