Biomedical subjects

Bernd Ohnesorge

Publications and source records attributed to Bernd Ohnesorge.

10 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Contrast-enhanced coronary artery visualization by dual-source computed tomography--initial experience.

UNLABELLED: Multi-detector computed tomography (CT) scanners, by virtue of their high temporal and spatial resolution, permit imaging of the coronary arteries. However, motion artifacts, especially in patients with higher heart rates, can impair image quality. We thus evaluated the performance of a new dual-source CT (DSCT) with a heart rate independent temporal resolution of 83 ms for the visualization of the coronary arteries in 14 consecutive patients. METHODS: Fourteen patients (mean age 61 years, mean heart rate 71 min(-1)) were studied by DSCT. The system combines two arrays of an X-ray tube plus detector (64 slices) mounted on a single gantry at an angle of 90 degrees With a rotation speed of 330 ms, a temporal resolution of 83 ms (one-quarter rotation) can be achieved independent of heart rate. For data acquisition, intraveous contrast agent was injected at a rate of 5 ml/s. Images were reconstructed with 0.75 slice thickness and 0.5 mm increment. The data sets were evaluated concerning visibility of the coronary arteries and occurrence of motion artifact. RESULTS: Visualization of the coronary arteries was successful in all patients. Most frequently, image reconstruction at 70% of the cardiac cycle provided for optimal image quality (50% of patients). Of a total of 226 coronary artery segments, 222 (98%) were visualized free of motion artifact. In summary, DSCT constitutes a promising new concept for cardiac CT. High and heart rate independent temporal resolution permits imaging of the coronary arteries without motion artifacts in a substantially increased number of patients as compared to earlier scanner generations. Larger and appropriately designed studies will need to determine the method's accuracy for detection of coronary artery stenoses.

Artifacts↗

PubMed2006

Accuracy of 64-slice computed tomography to classify and quantify plaque volumes in the proximal coronary system: a comparative study using intravascular ultrasound.

OBJECTIVES: We evaluated the accuracy of a new 64-slice computed tomography (CT) scanner, compared with intravascular ultrasound, to visualize atherosclerosis in the proximal coronary system. BACKGROUND: Noninvasive determination of plaque composition and plaque burden may be important to improve risk stratification. METHODS: In 20 patients, a 64-slice CT scan (Sensation 64, Siemens Medical Solutions, Forchheim, Germany) and an intravascular ultrasound investigation of vessels without stenosis >50% was performed. Diagnostic image quality with 64-slice CT was obtained in 36 vessels in 19 patients. RESULTS: In these vessels, which were divided in 3-mm sections, 64-slice CT enabled a correct detection of plaque in 54 of 65 (83%) sections containing noncalcified plaques, 50 of 53 (94%) sections containing mixed plaques, and 41 of 43 (95%) sections containing calcified plaques. In 192 of 204 (94%) sections, atherosclerotic lesions were excluded correctly. In addition, 64-slice CT enabled the visualization of 7 of 10 (70%) sections revealing a lipid pool and could identify a spotty calcification pattern in 27 of 30 (90%) sections. The correlation coefficient to determine plaque volumes per vessel was r2 = 0.69 (p < 0.001) with an underestimation of mixed and noncalcified plaque volumes (p < 0.03) and a trend to overestimate calcified plaque volumes by 64-slice CT. The interobserver variability to determine plaque volumes was 37%. Interobserver agreement to identify atherosclerotic sections was good (Cohen's kappa coefficient = 0.75). CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that 64-slice CT reveals encouraging results to noninvasively detect different types of coronary plaques located in the proximal coronary system. The ability to determine plaque burden currently is hampered by mainly an insufficient reproducibility.

Coronary Angiography↗

PubMed2006

Improving diagnostic accuracy of MDCT coronary angiography in patients with mild heart rhythm irregularities using ECG editing.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of our study was to compare diagnostic accuracy of MDCT coronary angiography in a population of patients with mild heart rhythm irregularities before and after editing the ECG. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Thirty-eight patients who underwent MDCT coronary angiography and conventional coronary angiography were enrolled in the study. The inclusion criterion was the presence of mild heart rhythm irregularities (i.e., premature beats; atrial fibrillation; mistriggering; or low heart rate, defined as 40 beats per minute or less) during the scan. All patients underwent MDCT with the following parameters: 16 detectors; collimation, 0.75 mm; gantry rotation time, 375 msec; 120 kV; and effective milliampere-second setting, 500-600. Images were reconstructed in two settings: before ECG editing and after ECG editing (i.e., arbitrary modification of temporal windows within the cardiac cycle at the site of mild heart rhythm irregularities). Data sets were scored for the presence of significant stenoses (> or = 50% lumen reduction) in coronary segments > or = 2 mm diameter. The results of the two groups were compared with a McNemar test, and a p value of less than 0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS: The sensitivity, specificity, and negative and positive predictive values of MDCT coronary angiography for the detection of significant stenoses before and after ECG editing were 63% (41/65) and 92% (78/85); 97% (251/260) and 96% (305/317); 87% (62/71) and 87% (81/93); 91% (251/275) and 97% (305/313), respectively (p < 0.05). The proportion of nonassessable segments was reduced from 17% (70/416) before ECG editing to 2% (10/416) after. CONCLUSION: ECG editing significantly improves diagnostic accuracy in a selected population of patients with mild heart rate irregularities.

Atrial Fibrillation↗

PubMed2005

Peripheral artery stent visualization and in-stent stenosis analysis in 16-row computed tomography: an in-vitro evaluation.

The accuracy of 16-row multidetector CT in the visualization of different peripheral artery stents and in the appraisal of in-stent stenosis was assessed. Nine different stent types (nitinol and stainless steel) with three diameters (6, 8 and 10 mm) were used; altogether 27 stents were analyzed in a barrel-shaped vascular model. Low-grade (<40%) and high-grade (>60%) in-stent stenoses were simulated by polyurethane sticks (70 HU) of differing diameters (2-6 mm). Imaging was performed with 16x0.75-mm detector collimation, 130 mAs, 120 kV, 12-mm table feed/rotation, 1.0-mm slice thickness and 0.5-mm increment. The stent diameter, strut thickness, in-stent attenuation values, degree and degree of in-stent stenosis were evaluated. Nitinol stents showed significantly (P<10-6) less stent lumen narrowing, artificial strut thickening and overestimation of the degree of in-stent stenoses than stainless steel stents. In-stent attenuation values and artificial strut thickening were significantly (P<10-6) lower in 10- and 8-mm stents than in 6-mm stents. Stent lumen narrowing was significantly less in 10-mm stents than in 8-mm (P<10-4) or 6-mm (P<10-6) stents. In-stent stenoses were significantly overestimated, irrespective of the stent diameter. In 6-mm stents overestimation was significantly higher than in 8-mm (P<0.01) or 10-mm stents (P<10-6). Under in-vitro conditions 16-row MDCT allowed an accurate identification of in-stent stenosis, but significantly overestimated the effective degree of the stenosis.

Constriction, Pathologic↗

PubMed2005

Assessment of myocardial perfusion and viability from routine contrast-enhanced 16-detector-row computed tomography of the heart: preliminary results.

To assess the diagnostic accuracy of 16-detector-row computed tomography (16DCT) of the heart in the assessment of myocardial perfusion and viability in comparison to stress perfusion magnetic resonance imaging (SP-MRI) and delayed-enhancement magnetic resonance imaging (DE-MRI). A number of 30 patients underwent both 16DCT and MRI of the heart. Contrast-enhanced 16DCT data sets were reviewed for areas of myocardium with reduced attenuation. Both CT and MRI data were examined by independent reviewers for the presence of myocardial perfusion defects or myocardial infarctions (MI). Volumetric analysis of the hypoperfusion areas in CT and the infarct sizes in DE-MRI were performed. According to MRI, myocardial infarctions were detected in 11 of 30 cases, and perfusion defects not corresponding to an MI were detected in six of 30 patients. CTA was able to detect ten of 11 MI correctly (sensitivity 91%, specificity 79%, accuracy 83%), and detected three of six hypoperfusions correctly (sensitivity 50%, specificity 92%, accuracy 79%). Assessing the volume of perfusion defects correlating to history of MI on the CT images, a systematic underestimation of the true infarct size as compared to the results of DE-MRI was found (P<0.01). Routine, contrast-enhanced 16-detector row CT of the heart can detect chronic myocardial infarctions in the majority of cases, but ischemic perfusion defects are not reliably detected under resting conditions.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

Detection of coronary artery stenoses with thin-slice multi-detector row spiral computed tomography and multiplanar reconstruction.

BACKGROUND: We analyzed the accuracy of multi-detector row spiral computed tomography (MDCT) using a 16-slice CT scanner with improved spatial and temporal resolution, as well as routine premedication with beta-blockers for detection of coronary stenoses. METHODS AND RESULTS: Seventy-seven patients with suspected coronary disease were studied by MDCT (12x0.75-mm cross-sections, 420 ms rotation, 100 mL contrast agent IV at 5 mL/s). Patients with a heart rate above 60/min received 50 mg atenolol before the scan. In axial MDCT images and multiplanar reconstructions, all coronary arteries and side branches with a diameter of 1.5 mm or more were assessed for the presence of stenoses exceeding 50% diameter reduction. In comparison to invasive coronary angiography, MDCT correctly classified 35 of 41 patients (85%) as having at least 1 coronary stenosis and correctly detected 57 of 78 coronary lesions (73%). After excluding 38 of 308 coronary arteries (left main, left anterior descending, left circumflex, and right coronary artery in 77 patients) classified as unevaluable by MDCT (12%), 57 of 62 lesions were detected, and absence of stenosis was correctly identified in 194 of 208 arteries (sensitivity: 92%; specificity: 93%; accuracy: 93%; positive and negative predictive values: 79% and 97%). CONCLUSIONS: MDCT coronary angiography with improved spatial resolution and premedication with oral beta-blockade permits detection of coronary artery stenoses with high accuracy and a low rate of unevaluable arteries.

Adrenergic beta-Antagonists↗

PubMed2003

Do segmented reconstruction algorithms for cardiac multi-slice computed tomography improve image quality?

PURPOSE: To evaluate segmented reconstruction algorithms for spiral multi-slice computed tomography (MSCT) that use data from two cardiac cycles to improve temporal resolution (tau) for imaging of the heart. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An initial group of 78 cardiac patients (heart rates [HR] = 63-167 beats per minute [bpm]) were imaged on a 4-slice, 500 ms gantry rotation time scanner (scanner 1). Images were reconstructed with a single-segment algorithm using data from one cardiac cycle with a reconstruction window of fixed length (tau = 250 ms). Images were also reconstructed with two variants of a multi-segment algorithm using data from two cardiac cycles where only one end of the reconstruction window was fixed and the other end was freely moveable to allow adjustment of tau according to HR: (1) "2-segment fixed start" with fixed start of reconstruction, (2) "2-segment fixed end" with fixed end of reconstruction (for both, tau = 125-250 ms). The resulting image sets were ranked from best to worst (1-3, respectively) in a side-by-side, blinded comparison by two independent readers. A second group of 26 patients (HR = 74-90 bpm) were imaged on a 12-slice, 420 ms gantry rotation time scanner (scanner 2). Data were reconstructed with a single-segment algorithm (tau = 210 ms) and a "2-segment fixed start" algorithm (tau = 105-210 ms) and image sets were ranked from best to worst (1-2, respectively). RESULTS: There was no clear evidence that any one technique is superior for imaging on scanner 1. Reader 1 ranked single-segment images the highest for all HRs, but statistically significant differences among the three algorithms were only found for the lowest HRs (< 80 bpm), where reader 1 preferred single-segment over "2-segment fixed end" techniques (p = 0.048). The highest rankings given by reader 2 varied according to HR: single-segment images were superior for lowest HRs, while "2-segment fixed start" images were superior for HRs > 80 bpm; none of these comparisons reached statistical significance. Improved performance of 2-segment reconstruction was found with scanner 2. Both readers ranked "2-segment fixed start" images the highest (p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The added value of 2-segment cardiac reconstruction algorithms for spiral MSCT was not demonstrated for a 4-slice, 500 ms gantry rotation time scanner but shown to be beneficial for a 12-slice, 420 ms gantry rotation time scanner in the crucial HR range of 74-90 bpm.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2002

Multislice helical CT of the heart with retrospective ECG gating: reduction of radiation exposure by ECG-controlled tube current modulation.

Our objective was to evaluate image quality and radiation exposure of retrospectively ECG-gated multislice helical CT (MSCT) investigations of the heart with ECG-controlled tube current modulation. One hundred patients underwent MSCT scanning (Somatom VolumeZoom, Siemens, Forchheim, Germany) for detection of coronary artery calcifications. A continuous helical data set of the heart was acquired in 50 patients (group 1) using the standard protocol with constant tube current, and in 50 patients (group 2) using an alternative protocol with reduced radiation exposure during the systolic phase. The standard deviations (SD) of predefined regions of interest (ROIs) were determined as a measure of image noise and were tested for significant differences. There was no significant difference between group 1 and group 2 with respect to image noise. Radiation exposure with and without tube current modulation was 1.0 and 1.9 mSv ( p<0.0001), respectively, for males and 1.4 and 2.5 mSv ( p<0.0001), respectively, for females; thus, there was a mean dose reduction of 48% for males and 45% for females, respectively. The ECG-controlled tube current modulation allows significant dose reduction when performing retrospectively ECG-gated MSCT of the heart.

Calcinosis↗

PubMed2002

Coronary artery calcium: absolute quantification in nonenhanced and contrast-enhanced multi-detector row CT studies.

PURPOSE: (a) To determine the accuracy of multi-detector row computed tomography (CT) in the measurement of the calcium concentration in a cardiac CT calibration phantom and (b) to assess the correlation of a traditional 3-mm section width CT coronary screening protocol and a 1.25-mm section width CT angiography imaging protocol in the quantification of the absolute mass of coronary calcium in patients who underwent both coronary screening and CT angiography with a multi-detector row CT scanner. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A heart phantom containing calcified cylinders was scanned to determine calibration factors and absolute calcium mass. In 50 patients, the variability (value 1 - value 2/mean value 1 - value 2), limit of agreement (+/-2SD value 1 - value 2), and systematic error (mean value 1 - value 2) of the total amount of coronary calcium calculated at traditional 3-mm section width CT and at 1.25-mm section width CT angiography were determined. RESULTS: The correlation coefficient between the 3-mm section width, nonenhanced protocol and the 1.25-mm section width CT angiography protocol was very high (r = 0.977) and the mean variability was low (19.7%) for the absolute mass. There was a systematic error of -6.7 mg and a limit of agreement between 45.0 mg and -58.5 mg. CONCLUSION: Use of the mass quantification algorithm in combination with a calibration phantom allows accurate quantification of coronary calcium. Measurements of calcium mass obtained at 1.25-mm section width CT angiography have the best agreement with those obtained at the traditional 3-mm section width imaging protocol.

Algorithms↗

PubMed2002

Reproducibility and accuracy of coronary calcium measurements with multi-detector row versus electron-beam CT.

PURPOSE: To methodically evaluate the reproducibility and accuracy of coronary arterial calcification measurements by using spiral multi-detector row and electron-beam computed tomography (CT) with a beating heart phantom. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A phantom was built to mimic a beating heart with coronary arteries and calcified plaques. The simulated vessels moved in a pattern similar to that of a beating heart. The phantom operated at a variety of pulse rates (0-140 beats per minute). The phantom was repeatedly scanned in various positions by using various protocols with electron-beam and multi-detector row CT scanners to assess interexamination variability. Statistical analysis was performed to determine significant differences in interexamination variability for various acquisition protocols. RESULTS: Electrocardiographically (EKG) gated volume coverage with spiral multi-detector row CT (2.5-mm collimation) and overlapping image reconstruction (1-mm increment) was found to significantly improve the reliability of coronary arterial calcium quantification, especially for small plaques (P <.05). Mean interexamination variability was reduced from 35% +/- 6 (SD) (Agatston score, standard electron-beam CT) to 4% +/- 2 (P <.05) (volumetric score, spiral EKG-gated multi-detector row CT). CONCLUSION: By coupling retrospective gating with nearly isotropic volumetric imaging data, spiral multi-detector row CT provides better input data for quantification of coronary arterial calcium volume. Multi-detector row CT allows precise and repeated measurement of coronary arterial calcification, with low interexamination variability.

Calcinosis↗