title: Coronary imaging quality in routine ECG-gated multidetector CT examinations of the entire thorax: preliminary experience with a 64-slice CT system in 133 patients.
abstract: To evaluate image quality in the assessment of the coronary arteries during routine ECG-gated multidetector CT (MDCT) of the chest. One hundred and thirty three patients in sinus rhythm underwent an ECG-gated CT angiographic examination of the entire chest without beta-blockers with a 64-slice CT system. In 127 patients (95%), it was possible to assess the coronary arteries partially or totally; coronary artery imaging failed in six patients (5%), leading to a detailed description of the coronary arteries in 127 patients. Considering ten coronary artery segments per patient, 75% of coronary segments were assessable (948/1270 segments). When the distal segments were excluded from the analysis (i.e., seven coronary segments evaluated per patient), the percentage of assessable segments was 86% (768/889 proximal and mid coronary segments) and reached 93% (474/508) when assessing proximal segments exclusively. The mean number of assessable segments was significantly higher in patients with a heart rate < or =80 bpm (n=95) than in patients with a heart rate >80 bpm (n=38) (p<0.002). Proximal and mid-coronary segments can be adequately assessed during a whole-chest ECG-gated CT angiographic examination without administration of beta-blockers in patients with a heart rate below 80 bpm.
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic Imaging, Hospital Calmette, University Center of Lille, Boulevard Jules Leclerc, 59037, Lille Cedex, France.
authors.forename: Damien
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Delhaye
authors.forename: Martine
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Remy-Jardin
authors.forename: Randa
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Salem
authors.forename: Antoine
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Teisseire
authors.forename: Chadi
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Khalil
authors.forename: Valérie
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Delannoy-Deken
authors.forename: Alain
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Duhamel
authors.forename: Jacques
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Remy
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D017023:Coronary Angiography / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D004562:Electrocardiography / Q000295:instrumentation; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011829:Radiation Dosage; D013902:Radiography, Thoracic; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods