Image quality of three-dimensional electron beam coronary angiography.
OBJECTIVE
This study identifies reasons for poor image quality and nonassessability of coronary artery segments and compares results between early and late diastolic triggering on coronary electron beam angiography (EBA).


METHODS
One hundred patients referred for EBA were studied. Contrast-enhanced transaxial coronary images were acquired using electrocardiographic (ECG) triggering and reconstructed three dimensionally using volume-rendering techniques. The image quality of coronary segments and image artifacts were analyzed statistically.


RESULTS
Volume rendering failed in seven patients (7%) owing to cardiac and breathing motions. Image quality was the best with the left main (LM) and worst with the left circumflex (LCX) coronary arteries (p < 0.001). The image quality decreased systematically from proximal to distal within each coronary artery (p < 0.001). Forty percent R-R interval triggering on ECG was better than 80% for image quality. The nonassessable segments occurred in 3% of LM, 2, 8, and 5% of proximal, 24, 22, and 12% of mid, and 64, 45, and 20% of distal segments of the left anterior descending, LCX, and right coronary arteries, respectively (p < 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
The major limitations of coronary EBA were suboptimal spatial resolution and image artifacts. The image quality could be improved by using optimal ECG triggering.
Lu
Bin
B
Department of Radiology, Cardiovascular Institute and FuWai Hospital, Peking Union Medical College, and Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China.
Zhuang
Nan
N
Mao
Song-Shou
SS
Bakhsheshi
Hamid
H
Liu
Steve C K
SC
Budoff
Matthew J
MJ
D000368:Aged; D017023:Coronary Angiography / Q000379:methods*; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000175:diagnosis*; D004562:Electrocardiography; D004583:Electrons; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011786:Quality Control; D012984:Software