Four-dimensional cardiac imaging with multislice computed tomography.
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to P van Ooijen.
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BACKGROUND: A new generation of subsecond multi-slice computed tomography (MSCT) scanners, which allow complete coronary coverage, are becoming widely available. We investigated the potential value of MSCT angiography in a range of coronary disorders. METHODS: We studied 35 patients, including 11 who had undergone percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty and four who had had coronary-artery bypass grafts, by both MSCT and conventional coronary angiography. After intravenous injection of a non-ionic contrast medium with high iodine content, the entire heart was scanned within a single breath-hold. The total examination time was no more than 20 min. The retrospective electrocardiographically gated reconstruction source images and three-dimensional reconstructed volumes were analysed by two investigators, unaware of the results of conventional angiography. FINDINGS: In the 31 patients without previous coronary surgery, 173 (73%) of the 237 proximal and middle coronary segments were assessable. In the assessable segments, 17 of 21 significant stenoses (>50% reduction of vessel diameter) were correctly diagnosed. The non-assessable segments included four lesions. Misinterpretations were mainly the result of severe calcification of the vessel wall. Segments with implanted stents were poorly visualised, but stent patency could be assessed in all cases. Of the 17 segments of bypass grafts, 15 were assessable and four of five graft lesions were detected. Two cases of anomalous coronary anatomy could be visualised well. INTERPRETATION: These preliminary data suggest that MSCT allows non-invasive imaging of coronary-artery stenoses and has potential to develop into a reliable clinical technique.
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BACKGROUND: -Noninvasive detection of coronary stenoses with electron beam CT (EBCT) after intravenous injection of contrast medium has recently emerged. We sought to determine the diagnostic accuracy of EBCT angiography in the clinical setting using conventional coronary angiography as the "gold standard." METHODS AND RESULTS: Thirty-seven patients (30 men) were investigated. After intravenous injection of 150 mL of contrast medium, 40 to 60 consecutive transaxial tomograms, covering the proximal and middle parts of the coronary arteries, were obtained with ECG triggering at end diastole during breath-holding. Three-dimensional reconstructions of the proximal and middle parts of the arteries were compared with the conventional angiograms. Of the 259 proximal and middle coronary segments, 211 (81%) were analyzable by EBCT. Of the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) segments, 95% were assessable. Right coronary artery (RCA) and left circumflex artery (LCx) segments were assessable in 66% and 76%, respectively. Overall sensitivity and specificity to detect a >50% diameter stenosis were 77% and 94%, respectively. This was 82% and 92% for the LAD, 60% and 97% for the RCA, and 83% and 89% for the LCx (all figures based on assessable lesions). CONCLUSIONS: Intravenous EBCT coronary angiography is a promising coronary imaging technique. The technique is not yet robust enough to be an alternative to conventional coronary angiography. It can detect and rule out significant coronary artery disease of the left main proximal and mid portions of the LAD with good accuracy.