Reporting lower extremity CT angiography for treatment planning

Diagnostic radiologists play an important role in the evaluation of patients presenting with signs and symp-toms of lower extremity peripheral vascular disease, including critical limb ischemia in both acute and chronic settings, and intermittent claudication. The complications associated with tissue and/or limb loss related to acute limb ischemia and critical limb ischemia of the lower extremity make rapid diagnosis and early intervention critical in the management of these patients. Computed tomography angiography (CTA) is an effective, widely available, easily reproducible, non-invasive imaging modality that offers a rapid and accurate means to diagnose and grade the extent of vascular disease. However, CTA run-off reports are usu-ally dictated in free text form, and referring and treating physicians may be unsure whether an anatomic structure has been evaluated if it has not been specifically mentioned in the report. In this article, the vascu-lar anatomy and anatomic variants of the lower extremity, the most common lower extremity vascular pathologies are reviewed and clinically important CTA imaging findings are outlined. This provides a frame-work for radiologists to accurately evaluate lower extremity vascular pathologies and convey clinically rele-vant imaging findings for management by vascular surgeons or interventional radiologists.(c) 2022 Societe francaise de radiologie. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.