title: [Clinical application of 16-slice spiral CT coronary angiography].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the clinical value of multislice spiral CT coronary angiography (MSCTCA).
  
  
  METHODS
  Totally 79 patients were examined with MSCTCA and the CT images were reconstructed by several methods to analyze the factors crucial for the image quality, the ability of MSCT displaying the coronary artery vessels, along with the nature and calcification degrees of the plaques. The presence as well as the degree of vascular stenosis, visualization of the bypass graft, implanted stents and patency of the vessels were evaluated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The left main coronary artery and the left anterior descending artery were all best visualized in 75% R-R phases while the right coronary artery and the left circumflex artery in 62.5% R-R phases. CT images obtained by volume rendering showed the best quality at 75% R-R phases. 16-slice spiral CT was able to display from the primary to the tertiary, and even the quaternary branches of the coronary artery, and clearly displayed the coronary plaques, stenosis, implanted stents and bypass grafts.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  MSCTCA has a good clinical value in the primary identification of coronary heart disease and reexamination after revascularization.
authors.affiliation: Diagnostic Imaging Center, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China. xu_swen@163.com
authors.forename: Shang-Wen
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Xue-Lin
authors.initials: XL
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Jian-Hua
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Zeng
authors.forename: Jiang-Yun
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Tian-Ran
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Gen-Nian
authors.initials: GN
authors.lastname: Qian
authors.forename: Rong-Guang
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Gao
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D017023:Coronary Angiography / Q000379:methods; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D036542:Tomography, Spiral Computed / Q000379:methods