title: Videodensitometry versus digital calipers for quantitative coronary angiography.
abstract: Single-plane left coronary angiograms in 18 patients were prospectively analyzed using videodensitometry (XR-70 system) and handheld digital calipers to compare arterial dimensions, stenosis dimensions, intraobserver variability and interobserver variability for the methods. A total of 648 arterial segments were measured, yielding a highly significant correlation between videodensitometry and caliper-determined cross-sectional area (r = 0.96, p = 0.0001). Similarly, a highly significant linear relation was observed between videodensitometry and caliper-determined diameter (r = 0.95, p = 0.0001). When data subsets for small, medium and large arterial segments were examined, higher variability in the correlation between videodensitometry and caliper-determined area was observed in the large segments (greater than 10 mm2). In addition, caliper-estimated areas tended to be slightly smaller than videodensitometry-estimated areas in these segments. For diameter estimations, correlations between caliper and videodensitometry data were similar for the entire range of arterial segment sizes. Intra- and interobserver variability was low for both caliper and videodensitometry determination of diameter or area. Thus, over a wide range of arterial dimensions, results obtained with caliper estimates of luminal area and diameter are comparable to those obtained with videodensitometry using the XR-70 system.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, University of Florida, Gainesville.
authors.forename: H D
authors.initials: HD
authors.lastname: Theron
authors.forename: C R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Lambert
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Pepine
mesh_terms: D002932:Cineangiography / Q000379:methods*; D017023:Coronary Angiography; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D003720:Densitometry / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011856:Radiographic Image Enhancement