Lack of usefulness of electron beam computed tomography for detecting coronary allograft vasculopathy.
Fifty-five patients with cardiac allografts were studied by electron beam computed tomography for coronary calcification (EBCT CC) and coronary arteriography, and from the latter, a coronary index was calculated using the size, degree of obstruction, and linear extent of disease of each vessel. There was a significant correlation between EBCT CC score and coronary index, but receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) analysis demonstrated unsatisfactory performance of EBCT CC, and 6 patients had no coronary calcification despite having very abnormal coronary indexes. There are pathologic differences between coronary allograft vasculopathy and atherosclerosis, and correspondingly, EBCT CC has limited usefulness in the cardiac transplant population.
Ratliff
Norman B
NB
Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.
Jorgensen
Charles R
CR
Gobel
Fredarick L
FL
Hodges
Morrison
M
Knickelbine
Thomas
T
Pritzker
Mark R
MR
D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D016027:Heart Transplantation; D006801:Humans; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012372:ROC Curve; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed