Experimental pulmonary infarction in dogs: a comparison of chest radiography and computed tomography

Transcatheter electrocoagulation of the pulmonary artery was used to successfully create experimental pulmonary infarcts in 15 to 16 dogs. The animals were evaluated from one to 13 weeks by chest radiography, computed tomography (CT), angiography, and pathologic examination. The abnormal densities in the dogs' lungs cleared in two to three weeks. The majority of the chest radiographs were normal in two weeks, and all were normal after three weeks. Prior to sacrifice, CT showed abnormal densities in the lungs in only two of eight animals. CT proved to be more sensitive than chest radiography for showing the densities in the lungs due to pulmonary infarction.