We wanted to measure the vascular pedicle width (VPW) in normal Korean adults and correlate the VPW with the body physique and we also wanted to establish the index for normal VPWs, which could be utilized in reading chest PAs.

The VPW was measured on the posteroanterior (PA) chest radiographs of 262 normal Korean adults (134 men and 128 women, age range: 22-88 years, mean age: 45.2 years), who visited the hospital for a general health examination. The relationship between the VPW and the height and the Body Mass Index (BMI) was evaluated. Correlations between height and the thoracic spine length (TSL) and between the BMI and the lateral chest wall thickness (CWT) were analyzed as well.

The mean VPW was 47.4 (±6.4) mm. The VPW was positively correlated with the height (p<0.01) and the BMI (p<0.01) of the subject. The patient's height was well correlated with the TSL, and the BMI was correlated with the CWT (r=0.75, r=0.76). The table for the normal VPWs according to patient's TSL and CWT was established.

By measuring the TSL and the CWT on chest PA, which reflect the height and BMI, respectively, and by utilizing the provided table for the normal VPW, we can determine the normality of a patient's VPW.