Pulmonary hamartoma: Feasibility of dual-energy CT detection of intranodular fat

Abstract

We have reported 2 cases of pulmonary hamartoma focusing on detecting intranodular fat, which is one of CT features suggestive of pulmonary hamartoma, using dual-energy CT analyses. For patient 1, a 73-year-old man was pointed out to have a nodular opacity on chest radiograph of pretreatment workup for retinal detachment. In patient 2, a 66-year-old woman with uterine carcinoma admitted for preoperative assessment. Both patients underwent dual-energy CT examination and the pulmonary lesions exhibited a downward-sloping curve at lower X-ray energies on attenuation curve of virtual monochromatic images, which suggested fatty tissue. Dual-energy CT analysis can help diagnose pulmonary hamartoma with detection of intralesional fatty tissue.

Keywords

• Pulmonary hamartoma
• Dual-energy computed tomography (CT)
• Fat